Outsmart
by rubyrose30
Summary: After the crashing defeat he met during the finals against the Generation of Miracles, Ogiwara Shigehiro abandoned basketball and moved on. He secured a scholarship at Rakuzan High, and knew that he would have to face one of them there. How will things develop when he finds a new hobby but gets caught in the schemes of a basketball Emperor?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: hiiiiii! So.. this is my first fic story. i made up some stuffs here and there, okay.. maybe a lot of stuffs. let me know how you find it! :D Also, I kinda changed Akashi's and Ogiwara's height slightly to make them fit more into the character(Ogiwara is a couple of cm shorter than Akashi) Each chapter is likely to undergo revision at some point, to correct the spelling or shape the characters better. I hope you like it! ^^**

Months passed since the last time that he had touched a basketball, let alone enter a court. After working his soul up, Ogiwara had been able to gain an academic scholarship at the filthily prestigious Rakuzan High school. The worrisome state of his parents and big sister, along with the constant naggings of his brother-in-law led to this result. Hoping for the start of a better phase in his life, Ogiwara took a deep breath and made his first step inside the gigantic premises of the school.

His attention was immediately swooned by the richness of the place. The water fountain in front of the colossal buildings at the entry was breathtaking. The whole place looked like some exquisite campus found in foreign lands. Not one piece of trash was visible, and cherry blossoms graced the school yard with a fresh breath of spring. If his high school life would be at least one fraction as beautiful as the view laid before him, he would not have to worry at all about his youthful days spent here. After breathing in the feast of a splendid view, he slowly proceeded to the gym for the entrance ceremony.

Ever since he got his acceptance letter, Ogiwara knew that sooner or later he would have to face one of the generation of miracles in Rakuzan High. After all, he had been admitted to one of the three Kings. He had been mentally preparing himself, and secretly prayed that it would be Aomine, Kise or the purple giant, whom, thanks to Kuroko, he knew were not so brilliant intellectually to be in the same class as him. However, as expected, fate had something else in store for him.

The moment his eyes fell on the redhead on stage, he cringed. Flashes of painful memories began swooning around his eyes as he started to lose focus on the speech given by the person he least wanted to see. Akashi Seijuro. He still remembered vividly the treatment he had been given on the finals between Teikou and Meikou. His love for basketball had been tainted by the petty play and the words of the former captain of MiraGen. The depression that came afterwards, only his family knew. Ogiwara was immensely thankful to his family for putting up with him and pulling him out of this self-depreciating state he had indulged in. No one spoke about basketball seriously in front of him at home since that infamous match. Even his brother-in-law, Takuo Sato, who was the assistant coach of the basketball club in Rakuzan, managed to keep this topic away from his ears. It was from this gratitude that he followed their request of transferring to a new middle school and moving to Kyoto with his sister and brother-in-law.

The memories of his family time and the doting care he got since he moved to Kyoto helped him regain his calm, and thankfully, the speech by the heterochromatic student was almost over. He did not have to witness his victory-obsessed attitude on stage. Ogiwara let his eyes travel around until it fell on the assistant coach. He couldn't help but chuckle as he noticed Takuo-san struggling to keep the bored expression away from his face. The most surprising thing that he learned since he moved here was the impatience and never-ending appetite of Takuo-san. Takuo Sato was an over-excited puppy disguised in a grown man's body, and to top it all, his cheerfulness was over the top. It sometimes grew on the people around him, like in his own case.

The entrance ceremony was finally over and everyone was heading towards their respective classes. Being an achiever, Ogiwara was placed in Class 1-A, among the best students of this year's batch, and he knew very well that Akashi Seijuro, being the winning freak he was, will probably be there too. Crossing his fingers and biting his tongue, he entered the room and gave threw a swooping glance around. He sincerely prayed that Akashi would not remember him and leave him alone. The redhead was sitting in the first row, catching the attention of everyone in the room and yet giving off an aura that demanded no disturbance. There was only one window seat left. Rushing, he made his way to the window while avoiding to look at the redhead. His presence went unnoticed by the said person, who did not even bother to raise his head from the book he was reading as Ogiwara passed besides him to get to his seat.

After making himself comfortable, he began to look around and started to let down his guard. One thing for sure, there was many weirdo in his class. It was only the first day and yet a good handful of students were already plunging their nose in textbooks and notes. Sneakily, he threw a quick glance in front of him. Akashi was indulged in a book, a novel probably, and let around him an air of aristocracy and supremacy. Ogiwara noticed the slight blush with which the girls looked at the Akashi heir and the whispers that flew around the class concerning the quiet redhead.

 _"hey, did you hear it? Akashi-sama has already started to work in his father's company as a-_ "

 _"I heard that he came out first in the national exams-_ "

 _"he's been selected as the new basketball captain even though he's a first year! How amazing-_ "

 _"did you know that he's the captain of the Generation of Miracles-_ "

Ogiwara instantly frowned as soon as he heard those words. The Generation of Miracles. A wave of painful discomfort hit him. He cut himself away from the flying words in the room and shifted his gaze outside. Thankfully, the homeroom teacher came and a round of introduction soon followed. Akashi was the first one to introduce himself. He was curt and short with it, leaving the teacher dumbfounded for some instant before she regained her composure and proceeded.

Finally, Ogiwara's turn arrived. With a wide grin and a hand behind his head, he raised up and introduced himself, secretly scrutinizing the redhead's back when he said his name and from where he came. When he saw not even a slight reaction from the said boy, he felt a sense a relief sweep through him as he slumped back on his chair. The teacher was pleased with his attitude, and he even managed to catch the attention of some girls who were now blushing while peeking at him.

But most importantly, from the lack of response and interest, Akashi did not seem to remember him.

Ogiwara felt like dancing the Macarena at this new found information.

* * *

Ogiwara did not join any club after transferring to a new middle school in his final year but chose to polish his knowledge, and according to him, he deserved some golden award for doing it so well. Now that he was in high school, Rakuzan High had a lot to offer to him as extracurricular. Basketball, or any other sports, were out of question for him. He did not want to go through harsh trainings, especially since he lost much of his muscle mass, and at any cost did not want to compete with others with the current policy of this school. "Accomplishment in both letters and arms." This motto suited the Akashi heir uncannily well, but felt like a bitter pill in his mouth.

As soon as the bell rang for lunch, Ogiwara closed his notebook and stretched out his arms and legs on his seat. Only a few days had passed but he could already tell that the competition was going to be fierce in the academics here, and he had to make a lot of efforts to ensure his place as a scholarship student. While he was gathering his stuffs, some students approached him.

"Ogiwara-san! What club do you plan to join?~" asked one of the girls, Tamako-san if he recalled properly, while leaning on his table.

"Ehhhh—" Ogiwara sheepishly smiled while trying to think of something, "I'm kinda lazy to move, so I'll probably join the library committee club or something like that… What clubs are you planning to join?" He enquired, trying to keep the conversation alive.

"Oh! We thought you were going to join a sports club.." she mumbled, looking a bit disappointed. Ogiwara frowned slightly at this remark. He saw no reason why people should think of him as the athletic type.

" Ahh—we're going to join the cooking club. The home economics department is unbelievably well-resourced here! We're going to have so much fun" replied the girl cheekily, with her two friends nodding in agreement.

After some casual talk, Ogiwara set out for the cafeteria for some food. Even though there was a lot of place for him to sit, the canteen was packed with people trying to get their food in time. It was going to be tough to shop for food here every day. After struggling for fifteen minutes, he was finally able to buy a sandwich. Pleased with his hard work, he pulled the packaging out and started to dig in before settling for a seat in a corner. The noisy bustle of the cafeteria soothed the tensed form that he had been in class. Soon enough, he finished his lunch and made his way out while avoiding a particular unpleasant redhead.

On his way back to class, he met Takuo in the hallway.

"Shige-kun, clean yourself up" he said while pointing at the crumbs that were on his clothes and face. Hastily, Ogiwara brushed them away.

"Takuo- _sensei_ ," he started, laying a lot of emphasis on the word sensei with a mischievous grin, "thank you for telling me."

"Aiiiish, it feels so weird when you call me sensei. I feel like an old man," he frowned.

" I can't help it, since you're a teacher and an old man with a noisy wife," he said teasingly while sneaking away quickly. Takuo, feigning an angry face, was glad to see the kid joking around.

"Yaaaaaaaaa- " Ogiwara heard him yell behind me as he quickened his pace away.

As he was turning around to flash Takuo a cheeky grin, he bumped into someone. Hard. Like a log.

"Sorry! " he started apologizing loud and quick as he turned to face the person in front of him. He instantly froze when his eyes met with a pair of ruby red and flaming orange irises looking down at him with a slight frown. He could feel his eyes widening upon the dreadful sight in front of him. _Akashi was looking down on him._ Akashi was slightly longer than him, and yet he felt so little when faced with those eyes. He needed to get away. He did not want to feel the sense of lowliness again. He quickly bowed and walked away, in order to avoid getting in trouble for running in the corridors. He kept walking away without any sense of direction.

Ogiwara needed to get his feelings sorted. Since he was in the same class with Akashi, he knew that occasional meetings like that are bound to occur. He could not possibly avoid him every time, and in order to make sure that he goes unnoticed, he'd better behave like other students around the heir. While pacing around the compound, Ogiwara promised to himself to try his best not to get disoriented by the fearful redhead. Refreshed and yet tired after walking so much, he went to class pleased with himself and relieved to find the person in question nowhere near. During class and class breaks, he discreetly observed how the mass interacted with the Akashi heir. Scrunching up his nose, he decided that he would rather run away from this snobby brat every time instead of treating him like some goddamn royalty.

As soon as the bell buzzed to announce the end of the school day, students began rushing to their respective club activities or home. For Ogiwara, he could take the time of his life gathering his stuffs. After all, even though Takuo-san was the assistant coach, he had nothing great to do with the club activities during this time of the year. The head coach had taken up the task of welcoming the newcomers, leaving him free to do what he wanted after school hours. Ogiwara and Takuo planned on returning home together.

As he passed through the now empty corridors, he felt a sweet, pleasant smell tingling his nose. Being the dog that he was, he automatically steered in the direction of the smell and was greeted with a cozy view of the students working together in the kitchen. The pleasant smell was the work of the cooking club. The majority of them were cute girls with their giggles and small talks filling the room. There was a few boys around too, and the fact that they were surrounded with girls and food made their face radiate with bliss and ecstasy. Ah! The youthful days of a high school student.

Ogiwara had found the perfect club to join.

* * *

Delighted was not a strong enough word to describe how his sister felt when Ogiwara announced that he was going to join the cooking club at school. Takuo Shiori was in the heavens, all thanks to the amazing decision his little brother had taken. She was brimming with pride and relief throughout dinner, and her husband had no problem with the idea of having another chef in the house. Ogiwara knew that his sister had a tough time satiating the enormous appetite of her husband, and since he had been in their care for so long, he thought that this decision could really help them as he would be able to give a helping hand to his sister in the kitchen. He could also avoid that horrible mess of buying food at the school canteen. Needless to mention he would have the time of his life learning stuffs from pretty girls in the school kitchen. It's a win-win situation everywhere.

He was the only boy in class 1-A to join the cooking club, and this was enough to create a little wave of whispers and blushes when he walked through crowds in school. Thankfully, he did not get picked up for his choice, since Rakuzan had some pretty tight policies concerning bullying and ragging. Yet, he could feel the envious stares of some boys as girls kept coming to meet him in class to share recipes. He didn't mind the attention at all; in fact, he was welcoming it after being constantly avoided in his last middle school as an awkward transfer student who lost terribly to the MiraGen. He could easily blend in and enjoy the student life in Rakuzan, even though some students were pretty stuck-up. He made a lot of friends in the club and got along with _almost_ everyone in his class.

He still could not stand a certain Akashi Seijuro.

Weeks started flowing by as Ogiwara became accustomed with the Rakuzan's pace of work. Things started getting livelier for him since he joined the club's activities. Even though he was an amateur, he was able to quickly digest the information on recipes and whisk out splendid dishes. He was loving his new found hobby of cooking and the lovely girls found in his club, and bragged about his food and cakes on every single occasion presented to him. The first semester was nearing an end, and Akashi was fully engrossed in his own matters, making it easier for the chestnut-haired boy to avoid him. Ogiwara had no interest in socializing with the snobby heir, unlike everyone in the class.

Rakuzan High started to show its true expectations as the recipes they got to make became fancier and more complex. Ogiwara was a little late compared to the rest of his club mates today, but it did not really matter since he enjoyed making the chocolate profiteroles. He ended up making a slightly more than he predicted, and thus had taken extra time in filling the puffs delicately with vanilla cream. After arranging the cream puffs like on his tray, which he would no longer be able to cover with the larger amount of food on it, he poured some chocolate cream on top of them to make a cascade-like effect. The end result made his mouth water, and the sweet smell of vanilla and chocolate did not make things any easier.

He squeezed the remaining vanilla cream in his mouth and washed the utensils he used. After cleaning around, he noticed that it was already dusk. There was no way on earth he would carry that fancy dessert on the subway home. Left with no other choice, he took his tray with the mountain chocolate cream puffs in hand and bag on shoulders and headed to the staff room, hoping that Takuo would be slacking there.

Of course, his bad luck shone as he was told that the teacher was in first string's gym. Ogiwara knew that it was practice time. He had the option of waiting around with his tray in hand or heading to the office and rush Takuo-san home. He contemplated on waiting outside, but the warm temperature threatened to melt the vanilla cream and ruin the fancy thing he spent hours to prepare.

Reluctantly, he began to approach the gym. He could hear the faint noise of the students practicing their game inside. Bracing up, he slowly pushed open the door and peeked inside. Everyone was engrossed in their practice game, and his lovely brother-in-law was nowhere in sight. _Great._ He must be in the P.E office. This meant that he had to either get someone to call Takuo-san or walk to the P.E office. Ogiwara would rather walk on fire to Hell rather than drag _those_ people's attention on him. Sending a quick prayer to god so that he could be left unnoticed, he started heading towards the office while maintaining the furthest distance possible from the game.

However, God must be playing a prank to him for such a disastrous thing to happen. As soon as he heard the shout "watch out!" from one of the players, he registered the basket ball approaching him and his cakes. No way in Hell would some flying shits ruin this fancy masterpiece he was carrying. Out of pure reflex, panic and rage, he scowled and punched the flying ball away from him and his beloved profiteroles. No one, or thing, gets between him and his food.

The ball went flew back to the court, which was _far_ from where he was standing, and Ogiwara immediately looked at the punching hand as he felt a sharp pain in his wrist. He did punch hard without thinking much and his poor hand was starting to face the painful aftermath of his stupid action. He wanted the earth to open up and swallow him up as he lifted his head and noticed that every body's attention was on him. Now, he had a throbbing wrist and the unwanted attention of everyone. Ogiwara was annoyed. Hopefully, upon hearing the shout of the blessed player who noticed the ball flying towards his cake, both the coach and his assistant came out of the office to take part in the few seconds of awkward silence that followed after the punch.

"Woahhhhh! That was cool," exclaimed one of the players while grinning. _Mibuchi Reo_. Ogiwara instantly recognized the uncrowned king. Mibuchi started to approach him when he heard another uncrowned king.

"He does not have much muscles, not impressive," Nebuya Eikichi disagreed with Mibuchi with a low grunt. Mibuchi stopped in his track and turned to the player.

"But he was able to avoid getting hit by hitting it first! That was cool, he has a fast reflex," he argued back with a small pout while heading back to the court.

"Everybody! Carry on with your practice," the coach shouted, causing everyone to resume their game. Ogiwara felt grateful to the coach for diverting their attention back to where it was supposed to be, away from him. He had tensed up pretty much from the glares that he was receiving, especially from a certain heterochromatic pair of eyes.

"Shigehiro! Are you alright?" Takuo-san ran towards the said boy and started to inspect his hand. "It is swelling up," he registered.

Ogiwara tore his gaze away from the sight of the two bickering idiots on the court and looked at Takuo. "It's not that bad. I'll put some ice on it later. Before anything else," Ogiwara started and looked at his brother-in-law seriously, "I'm returning home with you cause there's no way I'm taking the subway with this elaborate dessert in my hand," he said while gesturing at the display on his tray. "How long will you take?" Ogiwara was getting impatient.

Takuo-san was captivated by the sheer beauty that was laid on the tray in front of his eyes. Without thinking, he took one of the puffs and shoved it in his mouth instead of answering the teen who was questioning him. He closed his eyes to savor the exquisite taste that quickly filled his mouth. Ogiwara, on the other hand, was _furious._ He had had this painfully awkward situation with the basketball team in the gym. Heck! He touched, no, he _punched_ a basketball after so long, and was completely hanging on the loose with his patience. He was already annoyed with what had happened and wanted to get out of this place as soon as possible, but this stupid excuse of a brother-in-law he had would rather eat his handmade profiteroles without asking for his permission, before he had a taste of them himself(except for the vanilla cream which he would grade as 110/100). Ogiwara did not even had the time to react when Takuo-san went for a second serving. That was it. The last drop that spilled the cup.

"Listen to me, you idio-" Ogiwara started yelling when he was cut off. Without noticing so himself, he grabbed the attention of everyone in the gym again. Takuo had already entered another world, and could not care less about his surroundings when he interrupted the tantrum that his brother-in-law was about to throw.

"Those cream puffs are heavenly. Are you God?" Takuo asked with a serious yet approving face while going for a third one.

Poof! No one would have ever guessed that Ogiwara was fuming in rage a few seconds ago. He threw a skeptical look at Takuo and was now curious of his own work. He was hell-bent on having these for dessert with everyone else after dinner but this simple praise made him too curious to resist. He wanted to have a taste but the pain in his wrist warned him of the risks of using his right hand. Left with no other choice, he quietly asked his brother-in-law to feed him one.

Everyone watched with utmost disbelief as the raging brunette turned into a cinnamon roll after having a taste of his own food. Food can do amazing things to people. Ogiwara was contented with his life. He was proud of himself and he was almost teary when he realized that he would not be able to make such good food for some time because of the swollen wrist. Everyone was back to what they were doing previously when Takuo-san asked for the coach's permission to head home early using Ogiwara's swollen wrist as an excuse, which he was actually worried about. Completely unaware of the questioning glares that were thrown to him by a certain redhead, Ogiwara left the premises.

 **A/N: I hope you liked the story so far! Rate and review?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Writing Akashi is tougher than I predicted :O I hope that I did justice to him, he has such a unique character after all. Enjoy the reading! :)**

"We gave you a phone for a reason," emphasized Shiori. She wanted to punch everyone in the house. His little brother was injured and she did not like it at all. She felt like booting both males she lived with for being so reckless. "And that was for you to use it to avoid situations like this," she continued while pointing at his brother's swollen wrist. She was a bit worried, she admitted. She witnessed him going through hell and back because of what happened last year, and she wanted to make sure that no such thing ever happened again. That was the main reason why she insisted on having Ogiwara come to live with her. She had a bit of a brother-complex, but she couldn't help it! Her brother was too adorable.

Ogiwara was feeling a bit annoyed by the overly-concerned state of his sister. However, he knew that his sister was the most affected when he took that crazy downturn in his life while abandoning basketball. Knowing that Ogiwara came into contact with a ball after so long must have shook her a little bit inside. But that was no reason for the scolding he was receiving right now. He had to protect his awesome creation of a dessert.

"But we do not have the right to use our phone in school, and brother-in-law must have been busy since he was in the gym!" Ogiwara whined with a pout.

The squabbling continued until dessert time. Takuo-san preferred not to take sides; his wife's anger could be loud and painful at times. When Ogiwara took out the dessert from the fridge and placed them on the table, peace was established. His sister's arguments turned to unintelligent babbles as she took puffs after puffs in her mouth. Those puffs were amazing, Ogiwara confirmed.

Even though they were done arguing, Ogiwara could not prevent the extensive care that he got. His wrist did swell a little bit, but it was not unbearable. After the massage, cold ice treatment, ointments and painkillers, his sister wrapped his tiny wrist into a bandage carefully and bid him goodnight. Takuo-san soon followed with a couple of questions, like if he wanted to take a day off or if he could write. After the doting care he received, Ogiwara was sure that he could carry on with school. He also could not afford to miss one day with that fierce rat race he threw himself in when he scored a scholarship.

Ruffling his hair, Takuo proceeded, "Are you okay, kiddo?"

Ogiwara wanted to roll his eyes. this was like the umpth time that he got asked that question since he got home. He knew that they were genuinely concerned, so he answered truthfully.

"I would not have been fine if this happened a couple of months ago. But now that I've finally got over it, I don't mind those little happenings, though they can make things uncomfortable for me at times," he said, recalling his encounter with Akashi in the corridors. "As long as I have you all by my sides, and that Gorgon head away from me, I will be fine," he ended with his signature grin.

Takuo chuckled at his choice of words. "Gorgon head," he muttered with a tired smile. If the Akashi heir heard Ogiwara, both of them would be gone for good. "Are you sure?" he asked one last time.

"Hundred percent," Ogiwara confirmed.  
Takuo finally bid him good night as he went to his own room. Sighing, Ogiwara laid down on his bed and recalled the events that occurred to him today. It was indeed a long day. He shifted into a dreamless sleep quickly.

Meanwhile, in the Akashi mansion, a certain redhead teen got his sleep robbed away from him. Akashi Seijuro was not the type of person who forgets faces easily. Heck! He did not get those crazy eyes for nothing. He was someone who remembered and made people remember him. The punch that he witnessed in the gym that day stirred a feeling inside of him. A feeling of familiarity. Indeed, this intensity of the punch vaguely reminded him of Kuroko's passes, but the chestnut-haired boy ringed some bells in his head. He felt like he knew him, but he could not remember how, and Akashi knew that he would not find some sleep until he satisfied his curiosity. He was an Akashi, after all. He should know everything about anything.

He recalled his name from the introduction they had in class. _Ogiwara Shigehiro_. Kuroko's passes. Suddenly, it clicked. Akashi's eyes widened as he recalled everything he knew about the boy. The final match against Meiko in their third year in middle school! He was the ace, and Kuroko's childhood friend. No wonder he could not recognize him instantly. He slimmed down a lot. Akashi would not believe that he was a former athlete if he had not witnessed his fast reflex. The heir felt like he did a good job at breaking him. After all, if this boy did not have some great potentials, he would not have gone out of his way to taunt him on the court along with fixing the match. Akashi felt proud as he let a smirk appear on his face.

He never thought that he would encounter the Meiko boy again in his life, much less in such conditions in high school. This boy, he could be an interesting addition to the club, Akashi contemplated. Various ideas began running through his mind as he weighed the pros and cons. Ogiwara did slim down a lot, but he was sure that he could fix that up. Akashi Seijuro was indeed no less of a god. He could give people's life a new meaning just as well as he could break them. Kuroko's basketball style could be an example to that. He was the one who spotted his potential and brought it on the surface. He had eyes that could see everything. And boy, was he scheming some stuffs in his head right now. He needed to observe the Meiko ace a bit more to brew up some concrete ideas. After all, the boy changed so much.

Things were finally breaking out of the monotony that had settled in his life since he got in high school. Sighing with a satisfied smirk, Akashi concluded that tomorrow would be an interesting day before finally getting some sleep.

* * *

Ogiwara started to regret his decision of coming to school as soon as he stepped into his classroom the following day. As if the bandage was not enough, his sister forced him to wear a wrist protector on top of it, and this little addition attracted the attention of many. A half dozen of classmates gathered around him as soon as he settled in his seat before homeroom. He did even get the time to breathe before an array of questions was thrown at him. Sighing, he began to answer some of them.

"No Tamako-san. I didn't get injured because of a fight. I just happened to protect myself not so well from getting hit with a basketball in the gym yesterday," he quickly replied his friend who was on the verge to throw a fuss about his injury, and relieved to see that his answer hushed down the crowd around him, Some of them were even heading away. _Wait, did they expect him to break into a fight or something?_ Ogiwara shook his head disapprovingly.

"How will you manage with the club activities? Does it hurt a lot?" quickly enquired another club mate, throwing a concerned glance over his standoffish wrist protector.

"Ahh, I will see to it when the time comes. The pain numbed down a bit from yesterday. It's not that bad. I can write, though my handwriting will be kind of funny," he replied with a cheesy smile.

"Let us know if we can help you! You can borrow my notes after class if you want," chirped in Tamako. Ogiwara happily nodded, feeling grateful to have made such good friends.

The class suddenly silenced down when the majestic heir walked in. Ogiwara was in a foul mood since he woke up in the morning, and the treatment of awe that Akashi got in front of him was not making things any better. He was the injured one, for god's sake, they should look after him and not some spoiled rich brat. Ever since he got this injury, he felt uncharacteristically angry towards the Akashi heir and wanted to avoid his sight even more, though his conscience knew that the redhead was not behind his injury. His poor decision at that time was, duh.

Ogiwara looked everywhere else instead of the heir while he heard him drop his bag, probably next to his desk. However, when he observed the confused expressions of those who were peeking at Akashi all the time, he found himself turning his head to meet a pair of red and yellow eyes. Akashi looked like he was looking for him, and the moment their eyes met, the redhead raised his eyebrows slightly in recognition.

Ogiwara was puzzled, and began panicking inside when he saw Akashi approaching him instead of taking his seat. Akashi was coming towards him without breaking eye contact. Ogiwara felt like apocalypse was approaching. He did not want to be noticed by that particular person. He quickly looked around him, secretly hoping that he was not the object of interest of Akashi. Alas, the redhead kept his vision fixed on him. Knowing that the heir was probably going to address to him, he gathered all his courage not to chicken out. He refused to let himself wallow in a sense of lowliness again in front of those mismatched pair of eyes.

"Shigehiro," Akashi said.

Ogiwara wanted to slap some manners into the snob in front of him, but he had a scholarship position to maintain and a healthy life to worry about. Instead, he chose the safer way out.

Akashi observed with amusement and a bit of disbelief as the brunette in front of him flashed a smile so fake that it could put Barbie to shame. He even noticed the girl besides him cringe at the sight of the fake smile of Ogiwara. He could use that kind of smile to shoo away people that was bugging him, the heir reflected.

"Good morning, Akashi- _sama_ ," the brunette said, a bit too cheerfully along with that plastic grin. Akashi concluded that Ogiwara did not like his presence, and thought that his displeasure was sort of justified. However, he was an Akashi. He could not care less about such pettiness.

"Long time no see," the heir replied. Ogiwara frowned at the redhead's choice of words. He got a very bad gut feeling about this.

"How is your wrist?" Akashi continued smoothly, making it appear like a casual conversion for the mass who was secretly listening to them. However, the heir almost never talked to people around him, so this conversation was anything but normal.

Ogiwara felt loud alarms ringing in his mind as he kept going on the previous words that Akashi muttered. _Damn! he remembered. Screw my life._ He struggled to keep his emotions away from his body language and expressions.

"It did hurt yesterday. But it got better now. Thank you for your concern, Akashi-sama," he replied politely, hoping that the redhead would catch the subliminal message in this small talk. He had to catch it, Ogiwara insisted in his thoughts. Akashi was some genius freak, after all.

Akashi was amused, to say the least. The brunette in front of him had some guts. Before he could end the conversation properly, the homeroom teacher walked in and everyone had to take their respective seat. Akashi heard the loud sigh that Ogiwara released as soon as he turned his back to him. He felt a little smirk creep on his face _. Let's see for how long you'll be able to put up that brave front while facing me_.

Ogiwara could not concentrate at all in class after the little talk he had with Akashi before attendance. The red freak show was definitely plotting something, and he could bet on his chocolate profiteroles that his schemes were up to no good. The fact that Akashi remembered him made him want to pack his bags and run away. Ogiwara admitted that the was a coward, and proved his cowardice by refusing to play basketball for so long. However, he knew that it was next to impossible to run away from Akashi Seijuro now that he had caught his interest. The most he can do now is to avoid him, and tell Takuo-san about this encounter. He definitely had to drag Takuo-san in this now, in case Akashi wanted to drag him back on a basketball court, which was most likely to be his plan. Ogiwara chuckled quietly at his own thoughts. He felt like he was preparing himself for a battle.

In the end, with his obvious lack of interest in class and malfunctioning wrist, Ogiwara ended up asking for the notes of his friend. Tamako, along with the two other girls who always accompanied her, walked to his desk.

"Ne, Ogiwara-kun, do you know Akashi-sama from before?" Tamako asked while handing her notes to the boy. Ogiwara internally shrieked as he heard the dreadful question of his friend.

"Yeah, we had a basketball match before, in middle school," he replied truthfully. "I never thought he would remember me though. To be honest, I secretly hoped that he did not remember me, but my bad," he ended with a sigh. Tamako frowned slightly at this new piece of information.

"So you're an athlete? and you faced Akashi Seijuro? The Generation of Miracles?!" Tamako continued agitatedly. Ogiwara was grateful that the room was nearly empty. Everyone was busy moving out for club activities, and hopefully no one heard the words of his friend.

" I faced them but I'm not an athlete any more. As you can see, I'm in the cooking club now," he shut them up efficiently with a smiling wink that got the two sidekicks of his friend blushing. "Keep this for yourselves," he silently pleaded to the girls as they proceeded to the home economics department.

Ogiwara had gotten the permission to skip the club activities as long as he took the recipes for the next few days until the school nurse gave her approval for him to resume. Slacking around in the kitchen, he took out his phone and texted Takuo, enquiring about the time he would be over with his club. Upon the insistence of his beloved sister, Ogiwara would be returning home with his brother-in-law till his wrist was completely recovered. After a few moments and tasty bites of food from his club mates, he got a reply, indicating him that the teacher would be caught up for some more time. Ogiwara sighed and looked around. The club activities were nearly over and some students have already started to leave. The kitchen would be closed soon.

Left with no other choice when he saw the last students making their way out, he left the kitchen and roamed around the premises. He did not want to go wait in the gym, especially after that painfully awkward punch he threw in there last time. Checking his mobile occasionally, he took notice that it was already dusk. Before it got any darker, he approached the gym and waited for Takuo-san outside, still adamant on not going in the gym. He could hear the faint noises of the game inside the big building, and surprisingly, he felt a soothing sensation rush through him as the tension he carried around throughout the day escaped.

After around fifteen minutes, he heard the coach blew a final whistle till the sound of the ball hitting on the gym floor stopped. Their practice was finally over. He moved in front of the door and smiled at the sight of his brother-in-law rushing out, towards him. Finally, his long wait was over and he could finally get home.

"Sorry for taking so long!" apologized Takuo as he approached Ogiwara.

"Hurry up, I don't want Shiori-nii to throw a fit at us for returning late," quickly replied the teen as both of them jogged away from the gym.

Akashi had a keen vision of his surroundings. He found the hastiness of the assistant coach to get away as soon as practice was over to be rather comical, but did not find it necessary to express himself. The said teacher ran to the office, grabbed his bag in no time and ran towards his exit muttering some apologies. Thirst for information being in his nature, Akashi turned around to see the person to which the coach was rushing and did not know what to think when he noticed a particular brunette who had picked his interest since yesterday. Ogiwara Shigehiro was smiling at the rushing teacher.

This was the second time that he saw those two getting out of school together. Even though Ogiwara came by yesterday holding that majestic tray of food and basically ordering a lift from the teacher in front of everyone, Akashi realized that he was so fixated on the idea of recognizing him that he let that important piece of information slip away. Better late than never. Akashi was never a person to let such hints escape his sights. Annoyed by the fact that he was late to catch such an evident detail that was laid in front of his blessed eyes, he fished out a phone from his bag and sent a single, straightforward message to someone. It was about time for him to know the relationship between the brunette and the teacher.

* * *

A quick shower later, and after recollecting the little glimpses of interaction he observed between his person of interest and the teacher, Akashi finally got to satisfy his curiosity. They were related. From the detailed message he received, he came to know that the assistant coach was married to Ogiwara's sister, Takuo Shiori, for 5 years. So the teacher was Ogiwara's brother-in-law, and he moved to live with them since his defeat last year. This explained the close relationship of the two. Akashi got wary of the assistant coach; he instantly predicted that Takuo Sato could be some sort of hindrance _if_ he planned on dragging the brunette back to the court. But he could deal with the teacher. In any case, the head coach respected him more than his fellow assistant. Akashi Seijuro commanded respect every where he set his feet to.

Meanwhile, during the car drive back home, Ogiwara carefully explained to his brother-in-law the little talk he had with the majestic brat in his class this morning. He tried to be as explicit as possible while avoiding to let the older male get the hint that he was nearly going to piss his pants when the Emperor's eyes were set on him. Ogiwara could handle it, but he did feel safer and relieved after getting the support of Takuo. Takuo Sato was more of a big brother figure to him. With Takuo's over-cheerfulness and Ogiwara's perseverance and optimism, they shared an amazing chemistry.

"Let me know if the gorgon head approaches you again," said Takuo seriously. Since Takuo spent most of his time around him smiling like some goofy kid, his seriousness was alarming and commanding.

"Hai hai, onii-san," Ogiwara tried to break the tension than built in during the talk while approving with Takuo.

"And please," Takuo looked at Ogiwara with squinting eyes as if he wanted to cry. The sudden change in his composure took the teen boy aback. "Do not mention this in front of your sister," Takuo requested sincerely. Though Takuo loved his little brother-in-law to the moon and back, he did not want his wife to worry and spend sleepless nights worrying about the said teen anymore. Not when things have finally been settled calmly.

Ogiwara vigorously nodded in affirmation. His sister had showcased her 'affection' towards him. Not like it was a bad thing, but she could take some pretty extreme measures at times. Like the time she insisted, with a loud bang on the table during family dinner and breaking the door in rage afterwards, that Ogiwara should come under her care for the remaining months of his middle school years. She could be very scary, and sometimes unpredictable. Ogiwara did not want her sister to be worried about him more than she already was right now. He did not tell him that Akashi was in his class, though she might have guessed it when she learned that the brat had enrolled in Rakuzan High and joined the basketball team. His sister had already worked on some nerves(and muscles, dare he add) to tackle the red devil in case he caused any sort of harm to Ogiwara.

The night proceeded normally in the Takuo household, with the usual, small bickerings between husband and wife and the chirpiness of Ogiwara to render things more entertaining. The day ended peacefully for him, unlike how it started off at school.

Akashi, on the other hand, had some stuffs to look at that night. Settling down in front of his laptop, he checked his mails. More data was been supplied to him periodically upon his request. He had spotted some interesting faces since the beginning of this week both inside and outside the basketball club, and he was keen on learning more about them. Akashi felt more like himself as he breathed in new pieces of information. Summer slowly was approaching, and so was the Interhigh. But he was not worried about that particular tournament. His victory was guaranteed, there was no arguing over that. From the observations he made with during practice with the regulars, he could see his win crystal clear. He did not have to worry about anything. He was grouped with three uncrowned kings in his team, for god's sake.

Akashi had some other motives for the Interhigh. He was keen to observe the growth of the phantom sixth player of the Generation of Miracles, Kuroko Tetsuya. This was his main objective. Kuroko was the only person he knew who never failed to meet his expectations beautifully. Now that they were competing against each other, he knew that the teal-haired boy would bring a breeze of fresh air in his victories. For Akashi, winning was breathing. It was his automated response to any challenge thrown at him. Knowing that he would end up as the victor, his life quickly became monotonous as he began to foresee the course of any challenge thrown at him. He was a strategist and a blessed perfectionist on top of it. His executions were always on point and perfect since he was always miles ahead of his opponents. Except for one particular boy. Kuroko Tetsuya.

Akashi knew better than to make things easy for Kuroko. He had already started to work on a few tricks to throw the phantom player off balance when they would face off each other. After all, Akashi wanted to see if the teal-haired boy remained resilient in _any_ situation. Akashi sure liked to look down some of his opponents like they were some bugs in this path, but he never underestimated their potentials. He made sure to qualify and quantify their abilities correctly before giving them the bitter taste of his supremacy and domination, be it on the basketball court or in official meetings.

He remembered the fiery determination that was shining in those blue eyes when he broke Ogiwara in front of everyone. Akashi knew verily that Kuroko would try to bring everyone is his former team down if he witnessed such a thing. He fixed that match because, well obviously everyone in the miracle team was too bored to care, but also to push that trigger that would turn Kuroko against the Generation of Miracles. Akashi had predicted that Kuroko would not be able to bloom completely around the MiraGen. It was about damn time for him to grow his potentials, and the match against Meikou was a golden opportunity presented to Akashi to stir things up. He looked forward to remind Kuroko that he was the Emperor after setting him up against everyone. Akashi was finally anticipating some real play time with the phantom player.

The Interhigh coming soon was only be a display through which Akashi would measure the growth rate of Kuroko. Kuroko was no strategic genius like him. Akashi had already predicted that it would be impossible for Kuroko to grow completely till the tournament. The bluenette had a very slight chance of facing Rakuzan High during the finals, and that would be only if Aomine did not play against the phantom man, which was most likely to never happen. Aomine would never miss such an occasion, Akashi corrected himself. He was sure that he would not be facing Seirin in the finals. His tricks were thus set for the Winter Cup. He had a lot of time to measure things up and concoct his ploy.

Akashi frowned slightly as soon as his eyes set on a particular mail from his officials. He had not finalized his stunts for the Winter Cup yet, and knew that the information found in that report could could make a decisive change. It was Ogiwara Shigehiro's medical report. The Akashi name was affiliated with many health companies and clinics. Getting a hold of such a report was no great feat for him. He always got whatever he wanted.

From what he could see, there has been some drastic changes in the health chart of the said boy since last year. Akashi had already seen that he lost a considerable amount of weight after the defeat he had met with, and the report gave specific details about his weight loss. It seemed like the Meiko boy lost weight because of some issues that went through his head after the match. He did not slim down on purpose, Akashi noted. Ogiwara Shigehiro had had a short episode of clinical depression, which came with some severe symptoms of eating disorders that Akashi could not care less about. He had no time and interest to be bothered with emotions and feelings. The redhead had already gotten a fairly accurate measure of the boy's mental strength during their last encounter, and concluded that(just like it was mentioned in the report) whatever issues Ogiwara might have had must have been resolved already. That boy was in the cooking club now, if not anything else.

His mismatched pair of eyes drifted to the information that he deemed as more important: his fitness. He scrutinized all the little details in order to get a proper image of Ogiwara's fitness, and truthfully, whatever Akashi found sucked. A whole lot. Ogiwara Shigehiro might have a great mental strength and all, but his body condition, in terms of athletic demands, made Akashi shook his head in disapproval. Akashi would have to put the said boy through hell to make him usable again and this trip to hell that he would have to arrange seemed to be _quite_ _demanding._ He would have to deal a bit more personally with the Meiko ace before taking a decision. After all, he did not want to rush so much; the Winter Cup was not anywhere close. Akashi peered through the reports of another particular boy. He sighed and headed to bed, satisfied with his work for the night.

It might be better for him to set Kuroko up against his own self.

 **A/N: How do you find the story so far?~ Reviews will be much appreciated! ^^**


	3. Chapter 3

Ogiwara felt a wave of triumph course through him as he finally took off the bandage around his wrist for good. The school nurse was writing a confirmation letter that his wrist was completely cured and that he could participate in the cooking club activities with no problems. After remaining four days in abstention from the club, Ogiwara missed the frying and the whisking that usually occurred in the kitchen. Though he might not have brought any ingredients for the dish that they were preparing today, Ogiwara gleefully accompanied his friends to the club. Just because he didn't bring anything did not mean that he could not do anything. He rejoiced of the idea of being able to cook again.

"Teamwork is the essence of club activities!" he exclaimed as he entered the kitchen with a heavenly smile.

"Says the one who did not bring anything to prepare," chimed in Tamako. "Your intentions are too obvious, Ogiwara-kun," she continued while shaking her head. The girl had stayed with Ogiwara long enough to observe his growing passion for the culinary arts.  
"Someone's been missing the pans and the spatulas, clearly," added one of her sidekicks.

"You know that you don't actually have to right to participate in the activities if you don't bring your own stuffs, right?" one of the club mates informed him.

Ogiwara indeed knew of that stupid rule that made his heart ache, but he had some tricks up in his sleeve. Just like Akashi Seijuro could threaten and his way into things, Ogiwara Shigehiro could charmingly coax his way into what he wanted. And today, he desired nothing more than to participate in the club activities. They were making mini tacos, goddamn it. How could he afford to miss that?

"Hello, Maeno-sensei," Ogiwara carefully approached the head of the home economics department, who was in charge of the cooking club.

"Good evening, Ogiwara-kun," the teacher replied while adjusting her glasses to have a better view of the teen. "How is your wrist now?," she enquired, taking notice that the bandage around it was now missing.

"It's completely cured," the boy replied happily. "I even got the nurse's permission to resume the club activities," he added with a bright smile while handling the letter of confirmation to the teacher.

The teacher quickly read through it and nodded in approval. "Good," she replied politely. "Since you don't have any ingredients today, you can observe your friends in the club and note down the recipe," the teacher continued while turning her attention back to the few papers that was laid in front of her.

It was the perfect timing for Ogiwara to use his trump card move now. The teacher was looking away from him. Before things got awkward enough for the teacher to look back at him questioningly, he played his little game.

"Ne, Maeno-sensei," he started casually to get the attention of the teacher back to him. As soon as the teacher looked at his face, he lifted his eyebrows slightly and made puppy dog eyes along with a little pout that always got his sister batshit crazy.

Head-shot. He internally jumped with joy as he registered the baffled look on the teacher's face .

"Can I assist my friends while they are preparing their dishes? It's been so long since I worked in the kitchen. I missed this feeling so much," he continued while maintaining that kicked puppy look on his face.

"I- I.. you don't really have the right to do so," the teacher said, obviously conflicted. After a few "pretty please" from Ogiwara and a moment of reflection, the teacher finally gave in.

"Fine, since you're so eager and missed so much, you may join your friends. But remind yourself that this won't happen again!" Maeno replied with a sigh. Kids nowadays could be so endearing, she thought.

"Ahhhh!" the boy exclaimed with joy. " Thank you so much," Ogiwara put on his best, 100-kilowatt smile and bowed deep in front of the teacher to show his gratitude. He noticed the blush on the female's face in front of him as kept his smile plastered on his face while straightening up. His sudden shift from kicked puppy look to blazing sun smile could work wonders.

Turning away from the speechless teacher, Ogiwara slowly hoped his way to his friends. He winked at some blushing girls around him and mischievously stuck out his tongue to the student that 'informed' him that he could not participate while giving his back to the teacher. Ogiwara internally patted himself for the good work he did to get the permission. He could be a pretty nice charmer when he wanted, and this was only the trailer of what he had in his mind for the activities today.

"Did you really just pulled that lame basic trick on the teacher? What are you, some host or something?" Tamako mockingly whispered to the teen boy. The girl was finally loosening up from this 'good-girl' façade in front of Ogiwara, who was pleased that he could see a more realistic side of his friend.

"Watch me," he replied.

Tamako narrowed her eyes as he watched the boy grab a bowl and sneaked his way to some girls. She rolled her eyes so hard that she could almost see the back of her head when she saw Ogiwara putting on that sickeningly sweet smile while asking for some 'excess' ingredient from their club mates. Boy, did he know how to work his way. He managed to poach a little bit here and there. Tamako was clearly impressed. Her friend could be an efficient salesman in the future. She chuckled in disbelief when her friend came back with a little of every ingredient required to make some decent tacos.

Ogiwara gave Tamako a smirk as he proceeded on preparing the dough for the taco shells by whisking some flour, salt and baking powder in a mixing bowl. He knew that he did not exactly receive the permission to work on his own dish, but who cares! Ogiwara comforted himself with the fact that he was also helping his friends by giving them company. Oh well, it was not like the teacher in charge had the eyes to catch his little crime.

Ogiwara was quick to finish his little servings. He had the most trouble filling in the little taco shells, and chuckled wickedly at the idea that everyone who had even more shells to fill would face a hard time. He only got to make five little pieces of marvelous tacos, and yes, he was secretly envious of everyone else in the room for having more, because tacos are delicious food to eat. He packed his tacos in his empty bento box and looked around. Everyone was about to start filling their taco shells. Feeling the teacher's eyes on him and a little bit guilty for his previous wicked thoughts on the misery that his friends were about to face, he decided to give them a helping hand like he was supposed to do.

Ogiwara admitted that he could be very meticulous at time. This was definitely the reason behind the fatigue he was experiencing after almost everyone in the kitchen asked for his help to fill the devil's trap of some taco shells in front of the teacher. Karma quickly caught up with him for the little trick he played, he sighed. He was tired from the constant assistance he gave those whining students, and decided to return home with Takuo-san so that he could relax as quickly as possible. He even thought of bribing the teacher with one of his tacos in case he miraculously refused. Maybe he could get him to quicken up with his own club activities while waving the delicious tacos before his eyes, he laughed at his own idea. It was already so late.

The teen boy felt a little boost of energy when he noticed some students cleaning up the gym. The gorgon head was not in sight. _Score_. Basketball practice was over! He did not have to wait for his brother-in-law to get home. _Double_ _Score._ He noticed the older male come out of the P.E office with his packed bags, looking ready to leave. As soon as the teacher lifted his face towards the door, Ogiwara began waving like crazy to catch his attention. Takuo smiled, but it was instantly replaced with a deep frown as he began shouting without thinking twice.

"Yaaa baka! Why are you waving so much with that hand? Put your bandage on quietly and let your wrist heal properly," the older male scolded him loudly in front of every (few) body in the large building. Even the head coach peeked outside the gym to look at the sudden commotion made by this assistant.

Ogiwara blushed hard when he noticed everyone's attention shifting to him and pouted. For one, he hated being called stupid. He was a scholarship student for a reason, and that was for not being stupid. The only person who was allowed to call him stupid was his own stupid self when he did something wrong and got into a self-depreciating cycle. Secondly, He did not like to get scolded at all, especially when it was for nothing like in this case. His wrist was fine now. He finally got the nurse's stamp of approval to do whatever he wanted with that hand. If he wanted to wave, he would wave it like some flamboyant flag. If he wanted to punch, he would freaking punch this idiot excuse of a brother-in-law he had who was rushing towards him. _Why could not Takuo just inquire about his wrist before making this very wrong assumption and calling out on him so extravagantly?_

"It's completely healed now, Sato-san. Thank you so much for asking," he replied sarcastically with a pointed mouth and lifted eyebrows.

The teacher threw his free hand at the back of his head and began scratching awkwardly. He gave the teenager an apologetic smile.  
"Ah really? haha. My bad, then. Come on, let's get back before it becomes too dark," Takuo-san said, trying to change the topic.

"Bad Sato-san," Ogiwara said while avoiding the gaze of the older male and walking away. "You are not going to get a taste of those mini tacos I made for not apologizing to me after such a loud and inappropriate scolding," the teen boy teasingly reprimanded the teacher.

"GOMENNASAI SHIGE-CHAAAAAAAN," Takuo shouted quickly while following the teen boy like some lost puppy. He did not want to miss any of Ogiwara's godly creations in the kitchen.

The brunette smiled in satisfaction. He got to take his revenge for this little humiliation he just faced almost immediately. It was nice to tease his brother-in-law at times. Those two kept on with their usual babbles as they made their way out of the gym.

Akashi took note that the brunette's wrist was healed. However, Ogiwara was not his priority for the moment. He could always get to the said boy later. He had to set up the training for another particular boy who he was about to involve in his plans for Tetsuya first.

Akashi Seijuro was not kidding when he thought of putting Kuroko up against his own self. His Emperor's eyes missed nothing around him, be a brave front or a weak presence. He had already ensnared the perfect candidate to train for that particular task. Mayuzumi Chihiro shared the same lack of presence as Tetsuya, but was a better athlete than the bluenette. Akashi had been quick on spotting and measuring up his abilities. The redhead had already made his first move. He got the said boy to cancel his resignation from the club and took the responsibility to teach him the techniques he required. Akashi was in the process of making a new model of the phantom sixth man that would surpass the current prototype. And obviously, he planned on revealing this little surprise to Tetsuya for the Winter Cup.

The Akashi heir did not have to do much to move the boy in the first string. The head coach complied to every of his commands. Akashi had already worked out a plan to train of the new phantom player. After discarding the polite language with which he approached the upperclassman, he made sure that the boy followed the special training he set up for him on point. He decided to focus more on Mayuzumi, instead of a certain brunette, till the new phantom would finally get used to his regimen. Akashi had to ensure that everything concerning the improved sixth player was progressing perfectly. He accepted nothing but perfection.

* * *

It was the second week of May and the summer season was just behind the door. The change in season was starting to be felt. It was increasingly sweaty for Ogiwara to cook and for Akashi to practice his already perfect game, but both could not care less about the water loss. They were too indulged in their respective activities to be bothered. Akashi was able to predict the growth rate of the new phantom's abilities at misdirection and was pleased to see that the said boy had finally settled in his practice routine. However, this arrangement only brought a piece of monotony back into his life's schedule, and the redhead was adamant of pushing away that boredom before it got settled.

His attention shifted to a certain brunette in his class. After measuring up the capacities of the new prototype of the phantom sixth man, Akashi knew that the addition of Mayuzumi Chihiro in the team of regulars, along with the already included uncrowned kings, would be enough to disturb the physical, mechanical play of current phantom player. However, such challenges were a common thing in competitions, especially on a large-scale tournament like the Winter Cup. Akashi Seijuro had other plans. He wanted to squeeze that Meiko boy in his team, whether as a benched player or a regular, in order to observe the mental dilemma and reaction of Tetsuya after such a change. How would the teal-haired boy react to see the very reason behind his determined opposition and defiance towards the MiraGen back to the game and 'ready' to confront him along with the very person who broke him?

Akashi Seijuro was certain that Mayuzumi Chihiro would be ready by the time of the Winter Cup tournament. He now had to get his Emperor's eyes to work on Ogiwara Shigehiro.

Ogiwara woke up with a loud and resonating sneeze. He was facing the bad consequences of going against his better judgment last night. For him, it was already summer time, and the heat wave that was felt during the previous night was just too much for him. He had to keep the AC in his room running to be able to survive this harsh condition. Even though his sister warned him to turn off the thing for a while after his bath, he unblinkingly threw caution to the wind and savored the chilled air with his wet hair. Ogiwara was a winter person. He would rather layer himself with all sorts of clothing till he deformed his body shape in winter instead of wearing barely anything in summer.

He recognized the tingling in his nose and the itchiness at the back of his throat as the symptoms of an incoming cold. So much for some peaceful air. Ogiwara shook away his annoyance and proceeded to get to school. He somehow miraculously managed to avoid the radar of his sister about the warning signs of the cold. Even though it was blazing hot for his skinny body, he decided to sneak his school jacket with him in case things got worse during the day.

And indeed, things did get worse. Ogiwara kept on thanking the gods for the additional piece of some amazing clothing he had with him as he felt a sudden coldness surrounding him at the start of the first period. He did not want to miss his favorite class of Modern Japanese, and thus pulled out his jacket and got in it for the instance. He did catch the curious peeks of some students in the back, but well, he had a not-so-healthy body to worry about currently instead of the judgment of other people about his appearance.

His deteriorating health was no hindrance in his attention in class. He was too captivated by the new stuffs he learned to let the breaking cold get the best of him. However, as soon as the teacher walked out after the bell rung for break, he felt as if someone threw a stone on his head. He got conscious of the pounding headache he was experiencing, and dear god he did not want any of that. He cautiously made his way to the nurse's office and got some help, along with a sad warning that he might feel sleepy soon and a very tempting invitation to spend the next couple of periods in the infirmary. Ogiwara was a lazy kid, but he had already had his dose of privileges when he had a malfunctioning wrist. Though the offer was quite enticing, he decided to go back to class and take down his own notes instead of requesting from his friends again, not after he did that a lot just some time ago. He had such a good conscience, Ogiwara implored.

By the time recess came, Ogiwara was close to making love with his school jacket, which he openly declared as his bae to his friends. The looks that the girls threw to him afterwards made him kind of regret his decision of voicing out his feelings though. It was such a cruel world, Ogiwara thought with a painful expression. The medication made him somewhat delirious. Naughty nurse, he mused as he realized that the Actifed syrup the nurse made him take( since the pills were over) had a (low) alcohol content. He was feeling so tired and sleepy, and the fever that the cold brought along got him even more messed up. The medicine was late to kick in, but the headache thankfully dimmed down.

Ogiwara slowly made his way to the staff's room in search for his brother-in-law. He wanted to chuckle as he watched Takuo react to his current situation just as he had predicted. The older male dragged him to a corner away from the crowds, out of sights and did the doting care package ritual that his sister used to pull on him whenever he fell sick. Checking his temperature, asking 21 questions, scolding and reprimanding him, rigorous pats on the head and a lot of whining with tight hugs; you name it, and Ogiwara could claim that his brother-in-law did it.

"Let me take you home," the teacher insisted. He had been going on with this idea ever since Ogiwara told him about the cold.

"Thank you for asking but it's not necessary, Sato-san. I already took some meds, and I _really_ don't want to miss class." the boy replied. For a moment, Ogiwara seriously thought of taking out a tape recorder, recording that one sentence and playing it over every time his brother-in-law asked him the same thing over and over again.

Did Ogiwara mention that the doting care package also came with a lot of unwanted requests like returning home or going to the hospital? If not, well, it sure did happen.

"Ahhh! So hard-working! You make me so proud, Shige-chan" Takuo-san exclaimed while wiping off some fake tears with a pained smile. _Yes!_ The idiot teacher was finally convinced.

 _There he goes_ , Ogiwara thought with a little bit of exasperation as he watched the older male bloating with pride and joy of having a little brother like him. The teen boy hoped that his answer this time would shut the unwanted requests off.

"But Shigehiro," Takuo got all serious again, "you can still take the notes from your friends. It would be better for you to get home."

" You know," Ogiwara started truthfully. He wanted to slap his stupid self for thinking that he could convince a teacher, who worked with kids like him all the time, with that lame excuse. "I don't want to ask for notes again. I abused of this privilege a bit too much when my wrist was all bandaged and protected fancily. My conscience is too clouded to go after their notes so quickly again. I don't want to be a leech," he whined.

"But you said you could write…," Takuo started.

"Abuse is a strong word, and that's why I used it. To tell you exactly about how I asked for notes from my friends and classmates alike even though I could write." Ogiwara stated quickly.

Ogiwara watched the bloating self of his brother-in-law float away.

"So stupid!" the older male said in frustration. For once, Ogiwara did not mind being called stupid, and that was because he completely agreed with Takuo on that part.

"You should have _only_ used that privilege at that time. You should never abuse on doing such things! You see, karma works in strange ways," Takuo pondered in the middle of his set of instructions. Ogiwara could not agree with him more as he recalled the taco incident in the cooking club."Anyway, you are going to skip your club activities for today!"

"But I do- " Ogiwara could not interrupt the wave of orders that was being thrown at him.

"I'm going to talk to Maeno-sensei and tell her about your condition. You will head to the infirmary instead. You're going to take your meds and _stay in bed there,"_ the teacher emphasized, "till I come fetch you so we can go home together," he finally ended.

Ogiwara reluctantly nodded.

Ogiwara managed to get some notes from his friends by the end of the school day despite his constant denial, as well as some good sleep in the infirmary. When he woke up, it was already dusk, though it was not getting dark outside. He must have slept for a long time, he thought. Still half-asleep and very groggy, he winced as he registered the bitter taste of the meds he took before heading to bed in his mouth. He liked chemistry but hated to experience this subject of study so first-handedly in his mouth. As he sat on the bed and pulled the white curtains back to the corner, he saw a figure that made him want wet the infirmary's bed and puke his guts out at the same time.

Akashi Seijuro was sitting on the nurse's chair with a book in hand.

 **Author's Note: I hope you liked the reading!  
Reviews will be much appreciated ^^**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hello. I have no one to check the story and progress beforehand, so I've been getting those little unwanted doubts lately, but Lo and Behold! I shalt not be discouraged. None of my friends or relatives are into this fandom. Real life can be so hard at times! ToT I don't really intend to make a pairing in this story (yet). This can change after because I can make the ship sail with the plot i have in mind. So.. anyways, enjoy the read!**

 **Time for some Akashi-Ogiwara drama!**

Akashi was excessively proud and arrogant of the Emperor's eyes that he had. He rejoiced every time he caught the signs and hints of rarities that he had been anticipating for, and today was such a day. He made the right guess as he noticed the jacket that Ogiwara was carrying in his bag in the morning. If today went as he predicted, he could have the brunette in a position of defenselessness.

The heir was satisfied with what he observed during the whole day. Ogiwara Shigehiro got sick and was certainly going to skip his club activities for today. After commanding everyone their job and task, he left the basketball practice a bit earlier than usual, ensuring that the coach and his assistant had some good work on their plate for him to get the privacy he wanted for the meeting he was looking forward to. He headed to the infirmary after excusing himself from further sports practice for the day. Everyone knew better than to disrupt the agenda of the red tyrant when he had set his mind on something. Akashi left the gym with no trouble.

As soon as he entered the school's infirmary, Akashi threatened the nurse away with some sweet words and a polite smile. The nurse was hesitant to leave her task at first; after all, she had a sick patient to look after. However, when the Akashi heir told her that he could do that particular task for her, she did not even think twice before grabbing her bag and running away. Akashi finally got to have some personal time with the brunette, only to find him sleeping like some drooling puppy. He lifted one eyebrow as he saw the drool hanging out from a corner of Ogiwara's mouth. Well, it was not that the redhead had not predicted such a thing. He contemplated on waking up the sleeping boy and get to the talk, but he could enjoy a few moments of silence. He thus took out a book from his bag and started to read as he waited for the sleeping boy to wake up.

When he heard the curtains rustling, Akashi lifted up his eyes to meet the chocolate brown eyes of the brunette. He closed his book with one hand and watched the said boy intently. The moment his mismatched eyes registered the paleness that spread on Ogiwara's face, he smirked slightly. He savoured the instant fright that the boy experienced when he took notice of his presence. Akashi could finally talk to the brunette without the stupid brave front he usually used when addressing to him. He would be able to shake up the brunette's mind and pressure him into following his course of action.

After a few moments of a painfully awkward and terrifying silence, Ogiwara realized that, amidst the chemicals that was raging in his body and the cold that knocked him out, he was too tired to actually feel afraid of the red heir. The initial scare was because of the unexpected sight in front of him, but he earnestly did not want to deal with his 'Bokushi'-ness right now. For all the things that he was going through, he would actually feel happy if the snobby brat decided to kill him. He was feeling like shit, and the tyrant in front of him decided to choose this very moment to talk his little wicked schemes into him. Duh, how _unexpected_.

"Shigehiro," the redhead greeted. Ogiwara could not fight the urge to roll his eyes at the lack of manner.

"Seijuro," he mimicked the redhead with an air of extravagance.

Two can play at that game. For the first(and probably last) time in his life, he decided to give the heir a taste of his own treatment. Blame it on his cold and the medication that got him light-headed. He could regret about his decision later. Ogiwara felt a weight lift off his shoulders the moment he ditched the treatment of royalty while addressing to the snob brat in front of him.

Ogiwara felt like patting himself in the back as he watched the heir's eyebrows lift slightly in surprise. Now, he would know how it felt like when someone felt disrespected by his lack of manners. He was happy to wipe off the smirk that the red head was sporting earlier and felt satisfied by the frown that settled on his face instead. However, the frown was soon replaced by an amused look, and that particular look on Akashi's face did hit on some nerves in Ogiwara.

"Interesting," Akashi mused mockingly. "So, you see yourself as my _equal_ enough to address me on a first name basis. You shall not be bothered by my plans for you then." Akashi glared at the brunette.

"Wipe that ugly drool off your face." He commanded the brunette to remind him of his position.

Ogiwara knew very well since the beginning that the Akashi heir was plotting something bad for him. Instead of getting all fearful and terrified like he was supposed to feel if he was in normal conditions, He was irritated by the tactics of the redhead. If the heir thought that he would be all weak and pathetic after catching that cold, well that would be Akashi Seijuro's biggest historical blunder of all the time. Ogiwara hated to be disturbed when sick. When he said that he did not want to deal with the 'Bokushi'-ness of the majestic idiot in front of him, he _really_ meant it. The brunette felt his anger snap when the snob commented on his drool. He was sleeping like a log just moments ago, for god's sake! He was going to read that spoiled brat just now, he thought impulsively.

"First of all, I don't see myself as an equal to you and if you're as intelligent as you claim to be, you should know why I called you by your first name," Ogiwara started his rant. Come hell or high waters, he was not backing away now.

"You are a horrible, egoistic brat who boasts on his grandeur and status while I'm a very humble person who knows how to give a person his due respect when addressing to him, irrespective of his position in life. There's no way for us to be 'equals'," Ogiwara stated as a matter of fact.

" You thrive on your blessed basketball skills while I cower away from anything related to sports, including basketball," Ogiwara paused to take a breath. "You usually scare me shitless but I'm really too tired to deal with your shit today. So whatever you were thinking about, keep them off my back," he ended.

Akashi was furious for being called out. This was the first time that someone dared to talk to him like that since he got the emperor's eyes. He knew very well that he was a horrible person who could not care less about the emotions of others, and he did not need to be reminded of it by some sick little puppy in front of him. However, what pissed him off the most was that blunt attitude of Ogiwara. That kid was supposed to be sick and feeble. After such a long time, things were not proceeding according to his predictions. As much as he found it entertaining and infuriating, Akashi kept his demeanor as usual: collected and completely indifferent.

"Watch your mouth when you're talking to me," he warned Ogiwara.

"I could do that another time, when I'm not all sickly and done with your antics," Ogiwara retorted back quickly.

Akashi somehow managed to maintain his calm appearance till now, but inside he was completely baffled and brewing in anger. _How dare this weakling address to him in such a way and retort back to his orders?_ Akashi Seijuro was left speechless for a moment, but it was now his turn to snap.

"Look, _Meiko_ boy," he started while glaring at Ogiwara with glowing eyes, "I was the one who broke you and your little pathetic game. I was the one who changed your life, literally, and I can do much worse than a simple match-fixing. I've been tolerating you for a while now, so you better stop with this little confrontation game and _listen to me_ ," Akashi commanded in a silky, but menacing voice.

Akashi watched with satisfaction as the brunette flinched, especially at the mention of his old middle school name. Ogiwara gulped visibly and started to shake slightly under his intense glare. He had his Emperor's eyes glowing and glaring at the said boy. If the boy did not feel the threatened now, he might as well gauge out his eyes and offer them to him as a reward for his bravery. It was about damn time for Akashi to remind the shivering fool in front of him that he was a force not to be reckoned with. He was the Absolute, and his words were truth.

Ogiwara was visibly as well as mentally shaken, but he refused to give in to the sense of lowliness that the redhead was trying to drown him in. Akashi Seijuro was not going to get him down again. He collected his thoughts and managed to speak before the tyrant carried on with what he had planned.

"You're right about many things," Ogiwara admitted with a painful sigh, "but if you think that you can still get to me, you're wrong. You're definitely wrong on that part," Ogiwara felt really tired, but he made sure to lace every word that left his trembling mouth with sincerity.

"Shigehiro, you seem to miss something here," the redhead started calmly, and Ogiwara felt a cold chill run down his spine from the cold and unyielding voice of Akashi.

"Because I always win, I'm always right," Akashi reasoned. "You are in no position to defy my words, and you're going to listen to my order and- " the heir got interrupted as Takuo-san opened the door and grinned on his way inside the infirmary.

"Shige-chaaaaaaan~~~ your wait is finally over! Let's get you home for some good treatment now." The moment the teacher's eyes fell on a pair of heterochromatic ones looking at him in annoyance, he could swear he felt the language center in his left brain collapse from the shock.

The poor teacher gulped and blinked once. Twice. And then finally responded.

"Ah, Akashi-kun! I thought you went out of the school premises for your important task," he addressed to the redhead carefully.

"You got here right at the perfect moment," Akashi said, though obviously annoyed with the sudden interruption. It would be better to announce his decision to both at the same time. This would only reduce his tasks.

Looking back at the brunette in front of him, he resumed to what he was stating beforehand.

"Ogiwara Shigehiro is going to- " before Akashi got to complete his sentence, he watched in complete disbelief as the person he was referring to rolled his eyes back and fell sideways on the bed he was sitting on.

Of all the time, Ogiwara chose this particular moment to lose consciousness, and Takuo-san lost all colour on his face as he witnessed the whole scene.

* * *

Ogiwara felt like Leonardo Dicaprio. He was Jack Dawson from the Titanic, Jay Gatsby from The Great Gatsby, and so many more. He wanted to claim an Oscar award for the spectacular piece of acting he pulled out in the infirmary. He seriously considered the idea of joining some acting classes as he felt an inner talent bloom in him. He was completely done with Akashi, and felt a huge wave of relief when he saw Takuo-san entering the room. The entrance of his relative was the inspiration behind his little act that took both males in the room by surprise. He could rack up some pretty little tricks from his mind when he wanted to.

As soon as he heard the Akashi heir take his name, Ogiwara jumped, or more precisely slipped into action. He rolled his eyes and closed them as he let his body fall sideways on the bed with a light thump. He could be a drama queen sometimes and exaggerate on his actions, but for now, he had to pull this off as realistic as he could afford, especially when he had the Emperor's eyes settled on him. As far as he knew, no one had managed to fool Akashi Seijuro. However, being the optimistic idiot that he was, Ogiwara stilled his face and body , breathed calmly and evenly while praying to god that he could pass his little stunt a genuine stuff in front of the redhead.

Ogiwara was sincerely sorry for his poor brother-in-law as he acted out his fainting, but the imposing attitude of the Akashi heir was far too much for him now. He could always treat Takuo-san some great feast afterwards as an apology; after all, the best way to please the older male was by worshipping his belly, which still managed to remain flat after all the food that he witnessed him devour. Ogiwara was completely done with the red tyrant, and had his little remaining patience chopped off by the sudden entrance of his relative.

The moment his body hit the soft cover on the bed, Ogiwara heard the shriek that his brother-in-law let out. It had to be Takuo-san because Akashi Seijuro would never be so expressive in his whole damn life. After a few moments of silence as the standing males digested what happened, Ogiwara heard Takuo let out a string of high-pitched, fast-speed, brainless babbles in a state of panic. He heard the older man's voice increase in volume along with his quick, approaching footsteps before his body was suddenly lifted. The teacher had broken into full-on medic mode as he slung the bag of Ogiwara over his shoulder, swooped the 'fainted' boy in his arms and rushed out of the room.

"This little- ughh!" the brunette heard Akashi grunt in frustration when Takuo passed besides the redhead while rushing out.

Ogiwara concentrated intently on the sounds surrounding him as his brother-in-law rushed in the corridors. He could hear only one set of footsteps, meaning that the red devil was not following his carried self. Ogiwara felt some tension escape, but he had to be cautious. Akashi Seijuro could be moving as sneakily and swiftly as some goddamn poisonous cobra. He could be mistaken about his assumption that he was not been followed. To remain on the safe side, he carried on with his little charade for a while. Ogiwara wanted to smile at the very careful way Takuo-san laid him in the backseat of his car. He had a very loving family. When the brunette felt like the car had driven far away enough from the school premises and a certain fury redhead in it, he finally dropped his act.

He opened his eyes and sat straight. His brother-in-law did not notice him and kept on muttering how his sister would starve him, kill him, kick his butt and many other horrible things. Ogiwara decided to put an end to the panic of the older male and addressed to him.  
"Sato-san," he said apologetically.

Takuo-san let out the most girly scream ever as he was caught unexpected. The car suddenly screeched and took an abrupt turn. Takuo went to park in the sideways before turning back to Ogiwara to see the teen boy up and staring straight at him. He rubbed his eyes and looked at the brunette again, only to see him unmoved and still looking at him with a strained expression. Without thinking twice, he jumped out of the car to get to the backseat besides Ogiwara.  
"Are you okay?" the teacher asked with a very concerned expression while taking the hands of the teen between his palms.

"I'm fine, actually. Except for the cold. I pretended to faint so that you could take me away from the Gorgon head," Ogiwara quickly blurted out. "I'm sorry for making you worry so much about me! Gomennasai" he apologized loudly while shedding off some drama queen tears.

"I swear that I forgot how to breathe for one whole minute, you know! One minute! Sixty full seconds without an oxygen supply!" Takuo exclaimed with widening eyes. "Add thirty seconds more to that and I would've been lying unconscious next to you in that infirmary with the Gorgon head turning us to stones with his deadly glare!" he continued with a big pout and glistening eyes.

"You almost killed me, but I'm so glad that you're doing well," Takuo ended his whining with a face showing relief.

"You are the savior of my life, Sato-san!" Ogiwara cried.

"I'm thankful that we both got out alive too!" Takuo cried back.

"THANK GOD IT'S FRIDAY!" they both exclaimed in unison.

The dam broke and they both had one of their ridiculous emotional meltdown. Both males hugged and cried gallons of tears in relief.

On their way back home, Ogiwara told Takuo about the talk he had with Akashi. The teacher sang praises of him and his courage throughout the narration. Takuo comforted Ogiwara by telling him that he would drag the head coach in this matter if Akashi tried to coerce him into doing things he did not want. Though the heir did not really get the occasion to voice out his plan exactly, both Ogiwara and Takuo had a pretty clear and consistent idea about it. Needless to mention, they were both head to toes against it.

Ignorance is bliss. Ogiwara spent his weekend according to this saying. He was in complete denial about his confrontation with the red tyrant and refused at any cost to have a trip to memory land and recall that moment. Though he felt pretty irritated and proud of his words at that time, now that he was getting better and _saner_ , dared he add, the very thought that he retorted back to the Absolute freak in his school was downright terrifying. In order to avoid any mental damage, he simply denied the fact that he read and talked back to Akashi Seijuro and let himself float in the wave of attention and healthcare that the couple at home brought onto him. When the time would come, Ogiwara would force himself to face the reality of things.

Akashi Seijuro felt insulted. For the first time in his life, someone down looked his Emperor eyes. In complete disbelief at that time, he registered the tense and rigid facial muscles of Ogiwara Shigehiro as the latter laid 'unconscious' on the infirmary bed. It didn't take more for the Akashi heir to know that the brunette was faking the whole thing, but what completely baffled him was that this little weakling thought that his eyes would not catch him. He got underestimated, and he hated it. Before he could even stop this little charade of the sick boy, he saw his relative rush to him and carry him out of the room.

"This little-ughh!" He grunted in frustration.

Nothing, absolutely nothing went according to what he had in mind for this little meeting. He was completely bewildered after being left alone in that little sickening white room. He got confronted by some pathetic boy. He could not even mention about his plan of recruiting Ogiwara and the last drop that spilled the vase was the humiliation of his blessed eyes that could see everything. _How dare that Meiko boy to pull such a dirty little weak trick on him?_

However, Akashi refused to feel disappointed. Disappointment was a sister feeling of failure, and he never fails. He just had to get to Ogiwara again, when the said boy was in his normal frame of mind and not under the influence of some petty drugs. The brunette mocked and defied his absoluteness by faking his moves in front of his eyes, so he would have to face the consequences soon.

The words of the Ogiwara did not get to him as much as his blunt attitude rubbed on his nerves. Now that the heir finally got to talk to him personally, the heir felt like he was up to some real challenge, though it was off the basketball court. The brunette was kind of unpredictable, and Akashi was a tiny little bit pleased about that. After remaining still for twenty minutes in order to allow all the adrenaline in his body to break down, Akashi finally weighed the results of this encounter. Though he was not faced with what he predicted and got a foul mouth from Ogiwara instead, he was rather thrilled by the unforeseen actions of the said boy. As much as it infuriated the red head to admit it, Akashi felt entertained.

He spent his weekend doing the usual things he was supposed to do. Akashi flew to some places for some official meetings, gave away threats like candies and got his work done. Even though everything reflected his usual routine, his mind sometimes took him back to the infirmary incident that occurred,, breaking him out of the boredom of his profession occasionally. Ogiwara Shigehiro dared to go against his words. He had to make sure that the boy does not repeat the same thing again. Akashi Seijuro was actually looking forward to go to school on Monday.

 **Author's Note: I hope you liked it! Reviews will be much appreciated. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

When Monday finally came, Ogiwara did not want to get out of bed. It was not because of his now cured cold, but because of a certain redhead in his class. He managed to spend two peaceful days without thinking about what he did, but it was now time for him to face the reality. He gave Akashi Seijuro a piece of his mind, without censoring his mouth. When the said person finally manage to shake him, he pretended to faint in order to get away as soon as he saw the opportunity. Ogiwara did not deserve an Oscar for his acting. He deserved an award for being the most coward person on Earth.

However, when her sister asked if he wanted to stay at home for the day, he refused the offer. He was a lazy ass. Tell him to wash the dishes, do the laundry, sweep the rooms or anything else he did not like, he could throw a crying fit and even play dead to avoid the task. However, he found some sort of peace in his studies and thus hated to miss his classes. Ogiwara was a very studious person since the beginning, but became very showy about it in order to please his family since last year. He insisted on going to school though his mind screamed danger. Reluctantly, he made his way out of the bed and got ready for school.

The moment Ogiwara entered the school premises, he shivered even though it was officially summer time. He felt like he just got into a lion's den. He was greeted with a pair of heterochromatic eyes that never left him when he entered the class. Akashi Seijuro was looking at him, and the moment they made eye contact, Ogiwara wanted to cry. Even though the heir had his usual disinterested face on, every cell in his body knew that this fury redhead was not going to leave him alone. He started mumbling some prayers after greeting his friends while making his way to his window seat. Akashi held his gaze on the brunette all the time he was in front of him. The moment he got behind, Ogiwara no more felt those crazy eyes on him and was instantly relieved. Akashi would not turn back to carry on with those looks he was throwing at him.

Ogiwara managed to avoid clashing routes with Akashi during the whole day. However, being the good person he was, his conscience kept reminding him that he had to apologize to the redhead, no matter how much he did not want to face him. He was rude to him, no matter how much of a snob the boy was behaving like. He loved his life, and he had to at least try to prevent a calamity under the name of Akashi Seijuro befall on his joyous little moments.

As soon as the bell rang, Ogiwara started to pack his bag. His friends approached to him and started some casual chats as he was stuffing his materials in the bag. The classroom was clearing over as students started to move out. A last few remaining students were in the room as he stood up. He registered, with much dread, that Akashi Seijuro was sitting still on his seat. Ogiwara felt his words die down in his throat. Just when he went silent, the redhead moved his head slightly in his direction, though he was still looking in front. Akashi was expecting something from him, and thus sat waiting for his approach.

Reluctantly, Ogiwara told his two friends to go ahead. The only person who remained in the room besides him was now a certain redhead he did not want to face.

"Akashi-sama," he said cautiously as he approached the sitting person.

"Shigehiro," the redhead acknowledged as the boy came in front of him.

"About last Friday…" Ogiwara started while avoiding the intent gaze set on him. He busied himself looking at the neat handwriting of Akashi in his notebook. The brunette gulped before continuing.

"I apologize for my rude behavior!" he said quickly while bowing down and squeezing his eyes shut. So much for trying to play brave in front of the piece of living terror in front of him.

"Is that all?" the Akashi heir asked in a nonchalant voice.

Ogiwara slowly straightened up. He was puzzled by the question that was thrown at him. He decided to take a peek at the sitting Lord in front of him and felt a chill when his eyes met with a glowing mismatched pair of orbs. The heir had his usual face of aristocracy, only his eyes seemed to project some foreign feelings.

"E-eh?" Ogiwara sputtered confusingly. He quickly broke the eye contact again. "Ha-hai, that would be it…" he muttered quietly. Behind his little back, the brunette crossed his fingers hoping earnestly that the redhead did not catch his little acting.

"Don't you have something else to apologize for?" Akashi questioned. He was glad that the brunette finally cracked under fear.

"Ahh… No. I don't know," Ogiwara forced himself to say.

"Your fainting game was really weak." Akashi said politely, in an amused tone.

And here Ogiwara seriously considered to join an acting class. _Who was he, trying to fool the Emperor's eyes?_ Ogiwara wanted to strangle himself. He started to break a cold sweat after knowing that he had been caught.

"Well.. I I ," Ogiwara could not find anything to say.

"Follow me," the red head stated. Akashi was glad to be finally on move and expected the brunette to follow his footsteps.

"But I have to get to – '' Ogiwara tried to refuse but it only took one glare from Akashi to shut him up.

"You're coming with me." Akashi said.

Ogiwara unwillingly followed the red tyrant. However, when he noticed the direction that the red heir was taking him to, he shivered. He instantly pulled out his phone and called his brother-in-law, but the phone was switched off. His misfortune for the day must be over the top, he thought miserably. After all, Akashi Seijuro and the first string gym was a deadly, toxic combo for Ogiwara.

The moment they both reached in front of the gym, Ogiwara froze. The absence of the thumps and swishes inside meant that their club activities had not started yet. From the look, some students were warming up, and the majority seemed to be changing. Ogiwara searched for any traces of his brother-in-law or even the head coach, but both were not here. Sensing their absence, he felt even more reluctant to get in the building. It was not like Akashi's actions depended on those two older males. He knew that no one could control the red head. However, the presence of someone elder in there could have provided Ogiwara with a little sense of security, even though he knew that he would ultimately have to face the silent wrath of the Akashi heir.

When Akashi noticed the lack of movement from Ogiwara, he turned around. The view that met his eyes was fulfilling. The brunette froze in front of the large building, and made no sign to move inside. In his hand was a phone he was clutching tightly and on his face was an expression that showcased his inner turmoil. Akashi felt satisfied. He only gave a little trailer of what he had planned for their evening by bringing the boy here, and was satisfied to see that Ogiwara was already having a hard time. Both the head coach and that little stupid assistant had to go for a meeting concerning the preliminaries of the InterHigh, even though the assistant had tried his best to avoid leaving the premises when he got the news. No one would be able to get this little weakling out of his plans for today.

"Why don't we have a little game, Shigehiro? It's been such a long time since we faced each other."

If Ogiwara felt like entering a lion's den when he came to school today, he could say with much conviction that now, he felt like placing his ass in the lion's mouth.

* * *

Ogiwara was proud of the struggles that he managed to overcome in his own little ways after his defeat against his Generation of Miracles. Along with his close ones, he had been able to knock out many inner demons that tried to bring the worst out of him. He learned from them, grew from the lessons and got over his passion for basketball. In the end, he agreed that his 'everlasting' passion for basketball would not surmount the humiliation he faced so easily and quickly. His time with basketball came to an abrupt end, and he open-handedly welcomed a new life in this new town.

He would always think jokingly that he had a bad breakup with basketball, where they both decided to just not face each other. Call it cowardice or escapism, Ogiwara did not allow himself to play basketball since that time. He refused to give himself a chance with this game again. It was not like he could not play, though. Basketball was not the problem here; his own will was the issue. He just did not felt ready to get on the court and feel the ball yet. He was not denying the possibility of this happening in the future, but, it was not feasible for him now. He had so much emotions to get in order concerning this particular activity. He still had to grow some tough, scar tissues around his heart to properly heal from the subtle emotional impacts of the defeat.

For many reasons, when Akashi asked him for a little game, Ogiwara could only stare at the redhead in complete disbelief. The heir could not do this to him now, not when he was finally contented with how things were proceeding in his life. Not when he managed to get over the troubled waters. Ogiwara had prepared himself for some serious recruitment orders and (lack of) arguments, but definitely not a game. He wanted to push that guy away, wanted to run from this place back home where he could bury himself under the covers and never get up. He refused to move. He refused to get inside. He refused to get on that court.

The pair of mismatched orbs that met his eyes told him otherwise though. Akashi Seijuro does not take no as an answer. When the redhead grabbed his wrist and dragged him in the large building, Ogiwara was still not able to speak. He was too dumbstruck and frightened by the 'invitation' of the red tyrant. Akashi had knocked the words out of him by requesting for a game. A game that Ogiwara knew more than anything else that he was not ready for. He was already in the gym, near the edge of an unoccupied court. This detail itself was already making him break a few cold sweats.

He dreadfully watched the basketball captain go towards one of the uncrowned kings. Mibuchi Reo, he recognized. The moment the black-haired guy noticed him, he smiled at him and began talking but Ogiwara could not hear a thing. He could not tell if it was because of the wide distance between them or that he was frightened to a point of deafness. He could not care less about that guy though. He had more important things to worry about, like how to fight the fright that was trying to take over his sanity.

After their little talk, Ogiwara saw Mibuchi shouting and motioning everyone in the gym to move outside, behind the red-haired heir who was heading towards him. Akashi must have made some arrangements for a some privacy, Ogiwara thought painfully. He was going to be left alone with the guy he least wanted to face right now, to have a game he least wanted to play right now. Ignoring the approaching predator, he tried his luck one last time by dialing Takuo-san's number, but in vain. The first statement of Akashi crushed the little hope he had of escaping. He knew that the Akashi heir must have had planned all of this in a very timely manner.

"The head coach and his assistant won't be here for a while," Akashi stated.

Ogiwara started to shake visibly as he watched the redhead pick a basketball nearby. He was already sweating profusely, and could feel his heart thumping violently against his ribcage. The adrenaline that travelled in his body was internally screaming at him to take flight, but the piercing glare of the Akashi heir kept him fixed on the spot. Ogiwara was facing an inner mayhem that drove him sick.

He struggled to maintain his calm as he watched the redhead start dribbling on the court. No other person was there except for those two, and the sound of the ball constantly hitting on the floor resonated in the gym. When he waited for his brother-in-law outside on some days, he used to find this sound weirdly soothing, but now that he had to face the source of it, he was feeling anything but soothed. The view of Akashi lightly dribbling the ball as if to test its consistency was magnificently scary to him, and Ogiwara was not planning to play along with the said boy.

"Come here," Akashi ordered.

Even though he knew that he had to comply to this order, Ogiwara felt so tense that he could not move a muscle. He stood still in the place where he was dragged to and kept watching Akashi as he dribbled and worked the court effortlessly in front of him. He felt as if the basketball Emperor was teasing him, mocking him for standing up against his words. Ogiwara was forcefully reminded of the bad times he met because of the boredom and wickedness of the guy in front of him. Unwanted thoughts and memories began flashing in his mind as the redhead shot this order to him.

However, his cool but petrified composure began crumbling quickly as Ogiwara registered the tight grip of the red tyrant around his wrist. He was so lost in his own thoughts at first that he did not notice the redhead coming towards him. Akashi Seijuro was dragging him again, this time on the goddamn court. As soon as he realized that he was already on the court, Ogiwara quickly took his wrist away from the heir and stopped moving alongside. Akashi turned around and looked at his little act with amused eyes before heading for the ball that he previously dropped on the ground.

"Let's have a nice play, Shigehiro," Akashi said with a cold smile.

The redhead began approaching him with the ball, but Ogiwara kept standing still.

"No." He finally managed to said in a very low, shaking voice. This got the redhead to stop moving.

"Do you dare to repeat that again?" Akashi asked politely, with menace dripping in his voice.

"No," the brunette said, a little bit more confidently while lifting his face to look at the player in front of him.

Ogiwara noticed the slight frown that settled on Akashi's face following his refusal. He knew that he was inviting some big troubles, but he had no intention of following his order. Ogiwara did not want to play basketball right now, and no one, not even an Akashi Seijuro, would get him to do so. He was scared, terrified even, but these emotions of fear still could not empower his strong feelings of remaining away from the game. He was more than determined to avoid this play; he was resolute about it.

"Pick up the ball," Akashi said as he threw the ball in front of him.

The ball landed near his feet and rolled towards him. Ogiwara stared at the basketball for a few seconds. Millions of thoughts were running through his mind in an attempt to get him to listen or defy the words of the Akashi heir. He only had to pick up the ball, he finally thought. Ogiwara slowly bended down to pick the ball. He held the ball in his shaking hands as he straightened up and looked at Akashi. The redhead looked like he was enjoying the whole thing.

"Pass it to me," Akashi ordered.

Ogiwara silently complied to the redhead and passed the ball clumsily to him. He could pass the ball easily, just like he used to pass stuffs in class or in the kitchen. He carefully threw it to the basketball captain and watched as the redhead caught it in a swift motion. Picking up the ball and passing it over could be completely unrelated to a game play; following this viewpoint, Ogiwara had been able to follow the orders of Akashi.

"Good. Now try to stop me from scoring a basket," Akashi said.

This was too much for Ogiwara. The last order was clearly an attempt to get him into the game, but he was still adamant on not playing. His back was drenched with sweat and his hands were moist and rolled into tight little fists. Going against the words of the Almighty Akashi was very, very scary and nerve-wrenching, but Ogiwara had to do so.

"No." Ogiwara refused while avoiding the gaze of Akashi.

"You are in no position to refuse me," the redhead spat out.

"No," Ogiwara repeated.

"Your refusal does not change anything," Akashi stated with a light scoff.

"I am not going to play." Ogiwara matched his eyes with the heterochromatic pair in front of him while speaking. He was shaking and was getting frustrated since his words failed to reach the redhead. Constantly rejecting the orders of Akashi Seijuro could be equated to a death wish by many people. Yet, Ogiwara kept on saying no as if his being depended on it.

"You are going to do what I told you. You should know better than to defy my words." Akashi was slowly losing his cool demeanor. The constant refusals of the brunette was starting to get on his nerves.

"I am not going to play," Ogiwara reiterated in a firm voice that was a complete contrast to his shaky appearance.

"It's not like you can't play, really. You did not have any problem while handling the ball. You can try to face me off," Akashi reasoned.

"No." Ogiwara's voice began to quiver very slightly, but his determination to not play was unwavering.

"We're going to have a one-on-one," Akashi said as he walked closer to Ogiwara.

Ogiwara groaned in frustration as the redhead pretended to not hear him and carry on with his speculations. He was scared shitless, but fear had nothing to do with his unwillingness to try his luck with basketball again. Even if the redhead downright threatened to take his life, he would not play. Ogiwara could be very stubborn concerning his personal issues.

"No." Akashi frowned at the refusal of the brunette this time. He was so close to snap at the boy, but decided to do otherwise.

"You cannot refuse my order, Shigehiro. You called this on yourself. You dared to underestimate the vision of my Emperor's eye and failed miserably. If you do not want things to get even worse for you, comply to my words and play," Akashi said in a grave tone that sent chills down Ogiwara's spine.

Ogiwara took some deep, shaky breaths in an attempt to calm himself and gulped.

"I apologized sincerely for my rude behavior on Friday," he began while throwing a strained glance at the redhead. He kept his gaze on him as he continued. " No matter how much of a snobby brat you are, it was wrong for me to talk to you like that. I don't know how you were raised or what you lived through in your life and it was really inconsiderate for me to snap at you. I am telling you this again, I am sorry," Ogiwara said shakily, but as sincerely as he could.

" That being said, I really have no intentions of playing against you," he ended in a determined voice.

"Then I can assume that it would cause you no trouble to join the basketball club and play besides me," Akashi mused in a teasing tone that sent some alarms off in the brunette's head.

"No!" Ogiwara's voice finally cracked as he failed to contain some of his emotions.

"Yes," Akashi said in an amused tone, definitely enjoying the scene.

"I am not playing, goddamnit!" Ogiwara snapped as he clenched his fist and bid goodbye to his cool. He was on the verge of breaking into tears from the stress, frustration and dread that he was experiencing.

"Watch your mouth," Akashi hissed.

 _The same old words,_ Ogiwara thought with a nervous laugh. The majestic brat in front of him really did not have any idea on how emotions could get the best of people at times.

"How can I do so when you're pushing me to the edge?!" Ogiwara replied to Akashi with a pained smile and a very strained face. His legs gave out from all the nervous wreckage that was going on in his brain. He fell on his knees in front of the tyrant and chuckled helplessly. This reminded him of the Emperor's famous ankle break move.

"You are going to play." Ogiwara gritted his teeth at the same freaking statement of Akashi.

"I am not going to play just because some majestic heir like you order me to do so!" the brunette finally snapped in a loud, raspy voice. He felt his heart trying to break out from his chest.

"I'm going play when I fucking feel like doing so!" he continued with a cracking voice while facing the redhead and looking at him right into his mismatched eyes to get the message over.

" You can't change the way I feel and you really can't bend my unwillingness to play basketball, especially right now!" Ogiwara finally yelled loudly, voice quivering and fists trembling as he finally let everything out. He looked at Akashi with pleading eyes and felt his cheeks wet and his vision a bit blurred. He had a few streams of tears already falling down his face. The whole confrontation had gotten his emotions in a big chaos while he shouted his honest thoughts. He must be looking like a complete mess right now, Ogiwara thought.

"Pathetic." Akashi spewed at Ogiwara, confirming his thoughts.

Ogiwara closed his eyes tightly and felt a few more tears drop down as he waited for a reply from the redhead. He prayed to the heavens for the redhead to finally get his message. After a few moments, he heard some footsteps fading away. He opened his eyes and was relieved to see Akashi moving out.

Akashi was _thrilled_. He was very satisfied by the complete breakdown of the brave façade of Ogiwara, and even enjoyed the view of the teen boy crying on his knees in front of him and pleading with tearful eyes in the end. His initial annoyance from the constant refusals of the brunette to play against him vanished completely as the said boy broke down.

Akashi did not give a damn if the boy did not want to play basketball or anything. One thing he was sure of, he was not going to waste his precious time while trying to tame that little weakling into playing again. Getting Ogiwara to play by his sides against Kuroko for the Winter Cup was now out of question. He did not have to bother with trying to get that coward into the club for some matches and play-offs. Akashi would wait for the InterHighs to get over before deciding what he could do with the Meiko boy. The boy was surely bringing some entertainment in his life by defying his predictions, and Akashi knew that it would be a pity if he decided to ignore that boy.

 **A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews! Concerning Akashi, I planned on resorting to his wealthy means of getting things done later if necessary, after observing Kuroko and all.. even though he has taken an interest in Ogiwara, he's getting entertained by the way things are proceeding right now, and I want to keep it like that for a bit, I guess. I did write that Akashi felt like dealing with Ogiwara a bit personally. I hope that I made sense, and that you're enjoying the read!**

 **Rate and reviews will be much appreciated :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Festive time is approaching so i might or might not be able to update so frequently. I wrote a bit of Takuo in this chapter. I hope you like it! Enjoy the reading~**

Ogiwara did not know for how long he had been kneeling on the same spot in the gym. His eyes were still teary and his breath was a bit shaky from the encounter, even though Akashi was already gone. He was completely exhausted. He wanted to lay on the ground and sleep forever, but he remained still. Time ticked away as he kept going through what just happened in his mind. He was still very nervous and jerky and some tears even escaped from his eyes occasionally, though he was not really crying. He was in shock, and needed some time to recover.

Yet, he was forced out of his thinking process when he felt someone shake him slightly. He looked up at that person, and slowly looked around. Ogiwara realized that he was occupying the basketball court, and the members were now coming back in the gym. The basketball captain was nowhere in sight. He moved his head back to the guy who was addressing to him.

"Are you alright?" asked a blond guy, looking slightly concerned.

 _Did he look alright?_ Ogiwara noticed other members approaching him. He did not want to create a scene. Another tear escaped his right eye as he blinked. He briskly wiped his eyes and cheeks with the back of his hands. Gathering every little ounce of energy that remained in him, he forced a tight smile on his face and looked back at that guy. The blond guy, who he now recognized as Kotaru Hayama, frowned at the display.

"I'm fine, thank you. I'll just move from here," Ogiwara replied, knowing that he did not sound convincing at all. He laughed nervously.

"Sorry for making you all worry," he said hastily as he looked at the little audience who gathered around him.

He clumsily got up and picked up his bag that was laying near the court. Ogiwara rushed away before someone tried to probe into his matters. Even though it was already getting dark, he went to the kitchen in hope of finding Maeno-sensei to apologize for missing the activities for today. When he got to meet the teacher, the older woman threw him a look of concern before asking about his condition. He must have been looking all pathetic with his fluched, tearstained face. The teacher shrugged away the apology and told him to go home and rest.

Ogiwara did not wait for his brother-in-law that day. He went home as quickly as he could and shut himself up in his room. His thoughts lingered back to what happened, and he felt a bitter taste down his throat. Without thinking twice, he rushed to the toilet and puked his guts out. Thank god no one was home yet, or else what he was doing could be misinterpretated as something worse and push the whole family into a chaotic state. The emotional rollercoaster he went on today made him sick. He went for a quick shower and after a very, very long time, he ignored his pending homework and went to sleep.

When Takuo returned to school, he was expecting to find his little brother-in-law waiting for him outside the gym to claim for a ride home after a tiring school day. He started dreaming of the good food that the teen boy must have prepared. However, he met with a bit of sadness and disappointment when he noticed the absence of Ogiwara. Maybe the kid was still in the kitchen, he mused with a drunken-like smile as he thought of the nice food Ogiwara must be making. As soon as he entered the gym, he smiled and waved to the practicing members while the head coach went directly towards them. Takuo had to get to the office and arrange the new documents. He was a bit confused and dropped his smile when he saw a few members stop practicing to look at him and among each other. _Did something happen in his absence?_

Before he even got the time to enquire, Mibuchi approached him with a light jog. This looked like some bad news to Takuo.

"Sensei… the punch-kid who used to return with you was in a pretty bad shape today," the teen boy started carefully. Takuo's eyes widened upon hearing his words.

"Was it Akashi?" he interrupted the kid. That was the only thing he needed to know.

"Yeah," Mibuchi confirmed.

Without any further ado, Takuo dumped the paperwork on the student and rushed out of the building. He went to the cooking club and met with even more disappointment, along with some panic this time, when he learned that Ogiwara had already left for home with the teacher's permission. It did not make things easier for him when Maeno-sensei told him that the brunette was very shaken.

He went home immediately since he knew that his wife was going to be working overtime today. A disturbed Ogiwara and loneliness could end up dangerously. He recalled the hard times the kid had to face and prayed that he was alright. When he finally got home though, he was shocked to see Ogiwara sprawled on his bed in a deep slumber. He let his eyes travel to his wrists and waist to look for any traces of red, and was relieved to see nothing new. Only a few, faint white lines met his eyes. The frown that the brunette was sporting on his face while sleeping was not pleasing. Takuo moved closer to the teen and poked in between his eyebrows to drive it away.

Takuo made a mental note to check if the teen boy was eating properly tomorrow.

"You know something, don't you?" Ogiwara said teasingly while throwing a side-way glance at his wide-eyed brother-in-law in the car.

They were currently heading to school, and the teen boy noticed the extra attention that the older male was giving him, especially during breakfast time today. After a good sleep and a few consoling thoughts, Ogiwara was able to calm himself down. Since he exposed his pathetic weak self to the redhead with cries and tears, he hoped that Akashi no longer saw him as someone fit to play alongside with him. Bringing a crying little shrimp in a club of ripped teenage boys could be awkward for the basketball captain. After all, his splendid waterworks in the gym did not go unnoticed by the club members. Takuo-san must have heard of something yesterday about his little clash with the majestic heir.

"I kind of heard some stuffs about yesterday.." the older male proceeded slowly.

"I swear to god, you won't believe me," the brunette said enthusiastically while looking at his brother-in-law.

It would be better for Ogiwara to spill the beans in his own dramatic way in order to avoid the anxiety he went through yesterday. If he had to narrate the whole story to someone, he might as well paint himself as some goddamn Olympic hero in it.

The older male frowned slightly. If he wanted to know more about what happened, he had to go along with it. He wiped that frown away from his face and lifted one eyebrow to look at Ogiwara quizzically.

"Spill it boy," he prompted.

"I told the Gorgon head that I am not going to start playing basketball again just because some goddamn majestic heir like him asks me to do so," Ogiwara said coolly.

The car came to an abrupt end on the road as Takuo hit the brakes to stare incredulously at the kid sitting next to him. Some cars started honking but the older male could not care less since they were still in the residential areas. The other drivers could just pass onto the next lane or even build a bridge and drive over the car, for all he cared. Ogiwara just dropped a bomb on him, for god's sake. Takuo still could not believe his ears; his mind was blown.

"You WHAT?" he asked in such a high pitched voice that could have put his wife to shame.

"I told him, let me quote "I'm going to play when I fucking feel like doing so" and told him off basically," Ogiwara continued, feeling like some Herculean being. He was enjoying the whole thing so freaking much.

Takuo-san's mouth dropped open in complete shock. His face got paler than the whiteboard in his class.

"How the freaking hell did he take it?" the older male enquired as he got over his initial shock.

"Well, being the snob he is, he sashayed away," Ogiwara said as if he was stating the natural.

"Really?" Takuo still could not believe this. His adorable brother-in-law did not become delusional after his encounter with the Gorgon head yesterday, right? Many bad thoughts started going through his mind as he looked at the kid with concerned eyes.

"Don't give me that look. I'm neither mad nor lying," Ogiwara said while rolling his eyes. Takuo-san could be so obvious at times.

"He left me alone, but I was a complete trashy mess in the end. You see, it can be quite a pain in the ass to go against some Medusa-like creature who thinks of himself as some victory deity, but I'm alive! You should really stop worrying, especially after seeing me eat like a starved lion in the morning," he added with a little pout and a waving hand to shoo away the tension that was apparent on his brother-in-law's face.

Takuo was glad that the kid finally dropped his brave act. He was not happy about the fact that Ogiwara was shaken by the Akashi heir, but it made him feel a bit better to know that the teen boy was confessing about it. This could mean that the boy had been able to deal with it in his own way and got over his issues.

"Umm.. I also kind of told the Gorgon head that he will not be able to bend my unwillingness to play basketball," the teen boy admitted quietly while looking outside to avoid the gaze of his brother-in-law. He knew that it was a horrible idea to challenge the red fury so blatantly. Before the older male got to throw a fuss about it, he quickly turned around to face him and continued.

"Now that you know everything, you will talk to that head coach and will not let the snobby brat do anything bad to me, ne?" Ogiwara put on a cheesy smile as he sprung his right arm in front of him and thumbed up at his brother-in-law.

The older male sighed loudly. This kid was going to be the death of him.

"I already talked to Shirogane-san about you. He said he would be careful with the recruitment requests so you don't have to worry. Your big brother is here to help you!" the older male threw on his own replica of Ogiwara's cheesy smile and made his right thumb up too.

Both male sighed in relief as Takuo started the engine and headed to Rakuzan High. They both silently prayed to the gods that Akashi Seijuro, against his winning maniac nature, would not do something crazy to them.

* * *

Ogiwara was going through hell. His eyes were swelling up with tears and a few sweats were already forming on his forehead. The pain he got a taste of was excruciating and he could not filter his mouth from the profanities that he kept spewing as he ran towards the gym. Today was not a good day for him, all because of some unapologetic witches found in his school kitchen _._ One goddamn brat bumped into him and _spilled some piping hot sauce on him._ Did that female dog apologize? Of course not! She must have caught some germs from Akashi to behave like that. What could he expect from humanity now? Ogiwara wanted to grip her twin tails and rip them off her head but he was burning, literally. He should better fear for the safety of his nipples first.

He nearly flew across the gym towards the shower room while holding his red-stained school blouse away from his delicate skin. Thank god it was not his spaghetti Bolognese that got spilled; at least that uncivilized girl made a loss. Not like her food was as amazing as his though, Ogiwara thought. That sauce must have just been out from the cooking pot. It was so damn hot. Little did he realize that rushing into a building with a foul mouth and a blouse all stained in red could perhaps attract the attention of some people in there. Everyone's attention in the gym was instantly grabbed by the Ogiwara.

"Did I see red on him?" Hayama pondered aloud.

Upon hearing the words of him teammate, Mibuchi shrieked loudly with widening eyes.

"Oh my god! Was that blood all over his shirt?! Did he get hurt? We need to call the ambulance, someone inform the assistant coach!" the black-haired boy yelled as he ran behind the burning brunette.

The rest of the uncrowned kings and a certain redhead made their way behind and followed Mibuchi. One of the other players ran to the staff room to inform the assistant coach about this incident. Of course, just when Takuo-san was needed in the gym, he would be slacking off somewhere else, duh.

As soon as Ogiwara entered the shower room, he took off his doomed blouse and his handkerchief from his pocket. He quickly dampened the clean handkerchief and began swiping the sauce that was on his chest and (flat) belly. The cold water was such a blessing. He let out a loud sigh of relief as he started to clean himself off. Thankfully, his pants were not stained by the whole mess.

He did not even have to time to swipe away all the remnants of the red sauce when a loud and breathless Mibuchi crashed into the room.

"Are you alright?!" the older teen enquired quickly.

"Yeah, an uncultured girl spilled some Bolognese sauce on me in the kitchen," Ogiwara replied quickly in an attempt to calm the other boy.

As he gave his reply, the other kings and a particular redhead he had been avoiding for the past following weeks made their way inside. It has been a couple of weeks since the mental breakdown he had in the gym and the Interhigh preliminaries had just started. Ogiwara was thankful to the gods for keeping the Akashi heir away from him and busy with god knows what he had to do.

"Red sauce," Hayama laughed out loud as he registered the whole thing.

"Some filthily hot red sauce." Ogiwara had to bite his tongue to avoid adding 'bitch' at the end of his comment while giving a death glare at the idiot laughing at his pain.

While he was throwing daggers from his eyes at Hayama, Takuo came rushing in and was on the verge of throwing a fuss. Thankfully, the teacher enquired what happened before doing anything this time, and thus Ogiwara was able to escape a wave of unnecessary scolding. When he noticed the slight frown on his brother-in-law's face, he knew that the big idiot was not convinced about his honest statement about the red sauce and kitchen accidents. _Did stupid Sato-san really thought that it was blood all over his blouse?_ Ogiwara felt offended.

"I'm a lover, not a fighter!" He muttered angrily at the older male.

Ogiwara wanted to slap some sense into him. What did his sister find in that man?! Well, apart from the six-pack abs and a decent salary… Ogiwara stopped his train of thoughts. He grabbed the stained shirt and shoved it in the hands of Takuo.

"Smell it, or even lick it if you are still unconvinced that it's not blood," Ogiwara was getting ticked off, and the amused stares and chuckles from the people in the room was not making him feel any better.

"It's not going to taste good though, because I did not prepare that filthy thing. My food is safe and sound in the kitchen. I'm not happy about this whole thing so don't you dare laugh!" he warned the teacher as he noticed the mouth of Takuo turning upwards.

"Fine, fine, I believe you. I'm going to get you a clean shirt. I think I have a spare one in the car. Wait for me here," Takuo said while suppressing his laugh. He went out quickly, leaving Ogiwara behind with the little group of teens who followed him.

The skin that got into contact with the sauce was getting slightly pink, but thank god they were not blistered or burnt. He inspected his torso in the large mirror in front of the many sinks. It still hurt like a bitch, Ogiwara thought annoyingly. It was not a good thing to laugh at the misfortune of others, he implored internally as he noticed some of the guys struggling to suppress their laugh. Okay, maybe if one day he got to see the Akashi heir slip and fall in front of him, he would laugh his ass off instead of helping. He continued with his routine of placing the damp handkerchief on the affected areas.

Ogiwara sneakily threw a glance at the awkward audience gathered around. When his eyes fell on the redhead, he got an ingenious idea. _Why did he not think of this earlier?_ This was a golden opportunity for him to flaunt his perfectly unfit body as an athlete! He was not skeletal, but his lack of muscles and skinny figure did scream laziness and weakness for a particular game involving a ball and hoops. He could rub this fact on the red devil's face like some cleansing soap to wipe away the horrible recruitment ideas that the other teen was having!

The Akashi heir always managed to catch him in a not-so-good condition. Well, it was not like the redhead followed him to have a talk this time. With that epic entrance he made into the gym, Ogiwara might have as well scream bloody murder to complete the dramatic effect. But their first real encounter was because of his swollen wrist, then it was during his cold and now, Akashi Seijuro was here to see his ordeal with the red sauce. This guy was bringing bad luck to him, Ogiwara decided. The further he was from the snob, he better it would be for him.

Now that he was already shirtless and it the little audience had not yet started to move out, he quickly sucked in (a lot) his non-existent tummy to bring out his hip bones and lower ribs while wiping himself cold and clean. Even though that he was not able to confirm it directly, he knew that some people's eyes must be on him, and Ogiwara did notice Mibuchi's slightly shocked expression at the view of his protruding hip bones. He prayed that the red head was also feeling the same internally. No one would want a skinny guy like him on their team, right? Ogiwara fought the urge to grin like some Cheshire cat.

After a few awkward seconds, Ogiwara declared this pathetic excuse of exhibiting his poor attributes in front of perfectly fit and muscle ripped athletes to be painfully awkward. He was getting a bit self-conscious as he realized that they were probably not used to see such a lack of muscles in their shower room. But Ogiwara sucked it up and continued to stand topless shamelessly while giving his back to the little group even though the mirror in front of him gave them a good view of him, at the discomfort of both parties. It seemed like some of the boys around him wanted to say something, but Ogiwara could not care less.

One funny sight was the muscle man among the uncrowned kings. Eikichi Nebuya was definitely not happy with the sight in front of him. The buff guy looked at Ogiwara as if he caught a glimpse of his grandma's tits. That guy was totally appalled at first. And then, when the tanned male opened his mouth, he uncannily reminded Ogiwara of a certain Akashi Seijuro, though he was not in any sense mimicking the redhead. Eikichi scoffed, while throwing a look of disgust at Ogiwara.

Ogiwara knew that look. He had been given that look a lot in his last middle school when he transferred, and he knew a few very unpleasant words that could accompany such a look. He hoped that the buff boy kept his mouth shut, or else things could end up not in a good way, given that he was already pissed off because his ruined shirt and pinkish skin. But of course, things never went the way he hoped.

"Sissy, hmph," Eikichi mumbled.

Ogiwara rolled his eyes when he heard those words. He did not really mind people commenting on how skinny he was or even how feminine or soft a few of his body structures were but what he could not stand was the use of pejoratives. That muscle mania just said the taboo word, and Ogiwara was sure to catch it. Hands crossed over his chest, he turned his back around to give the said guy _the look._

Ogiwara was serving his classic bitch face.

The atmosphere in the room tensed up instantly. If one squinted their eyes, lightning could be seen in the glares that the little brunette was throwing to Eikichi. Akashi, who was proceeding to leave, paused at the doorway to watch the scene. Ogiwara decided to seize this occasion to prove one more thing to the red heir. He was going to show the basketball captain just how _well_ he would be with the other members in the club by massacring the dynamics of his possible relationships with the team players. He was presented with a favorable opening when Eikichi stomped on his nerves in a very bad way. Mibuchi's breathing hiked up for a moment when he saw the look that Ogiwara was throwing at Eikichi. That look screamed so many things, but mainly "I'm going to give you the ass whooping of your life" was the statement behind it.

"How dare you?" Ogiwara said in a very pointed tone to the tanned male. He turned around completely to face Eikichi properly, _like a real man_. The poor guy was baffled by the sudden question. Everyone could say that the voice of Ogiwara was just the calm before the storm.

"W-what wrong did I do?" he replied bravely, though the initial stuttering kind of messed it up.

"To start with, your choice of words disgusts me. You should apologize for that very vulgar comment of yours, especially when you don't even know me well enough to come to such poorly constructed conclusions," Ogiwara snapped. He narrowed his eyes and maintained eye contact with the uncultured person he was addressing to.

"But you're so damn skinny! I don't see any muscles, and I don't' see any reason to respect you either," Eikichi quickly retorted back, without breaking eye contact.

"Skinny," Ogiwara scoffed with a laugh. He rolled his eyes again.

"Wow, you're such a genius, really. Let me clap for this big discovery of yours," he continued. His voice was dripping with so much sarcasm, and the bow with a slow clap that came along was even better. Hayama actually _snorted_ from laughing too much when Ogiwara responded to the buff boy.

"Now, let me ask you one very simple question. How does me being skinny affect you?" Ogiwara asked Eikichi in a very serious tone. This got the rest of the audience, except for a certain redhead, cracking up in mute laughter. They did not want to offend their teammate, but that guy asked for it.

BAM! Ogiwara dropped his bomb question and met with silence. The muscle guy was definitely startled.

"No answer? I see… Maybe you should refrain yourself from imposing your ridiculously high standards on the people around you," Ogiwara stated with a lopsided smile that was anything but polite.

"Yeah, I agree with punch-kun," _Punch-kun?_ What a terrible nickname, Ogiwara thought as he turned around to look at Mibuchi rooting for him. He raised one eyebrow at the guy questioningly.

"I'm fine with my slim built and Ogiwara is comfortable being skinny. You should not judge people based on their looks, Nebuya-san," Mibuchi chirped in, in an attempt to dissolve the tension between those two as well as to correct his teammate being the mother hen he was.

The muscle-packed teen looked a bit taken aback. Clearly, he did not think that _his_ teammate would agree with the skinny boy who was trying to pick a fight with him. And Ogiwara was equally shocked. He was supposed to create a mess between him and the players, not join hands with one of them to go against another. He had no intentions of replying to Mibuchi and forge a friendship.

Both males ignored Mibuchi and continued with their arguments.

"You don't have any muscles. You seem very weak. I don't like you," Eikichi addressed to Ogiwara.

Ogiwara was very annoyed with the fact that Eikichi threw him in a box based on his looks only. He did not like people stereotyping him like that. Maybe he should give that guy a taste of his own medicine.

"And clearly, you have only muscles and no brain. Unlike me, it would be impossible for you to survive in a body like mine. The lack of muscles will make you die out of shock," Ogiwara replied impulsively while pointing his finger at the tanned male.

"You really should have used your brain a bit more before letting your mouth loose because it is downright wrong for you to judge me only from what you can see. I can be as fat as a dying whale or as thin as a branch stick and still deserve respect as a human being. Not giving me my due respect because of such a petty reason makes you a big, judgmental idiot. And guess what? I don't like you either!" Ogiwara replied.

After the blatant declaration of hate from Ogiwara, Takuo appeared with a clean shirt in hand. The bickering came to an abrupt end and Ogiwara quickly slipped into the oversized shirt of his brother-in-law. Great, after so much talking, he was now drowning in a piece of cloth way too large for him. Ogiwara did notice a few eyes travelling down to the faint white lines on his waist, and was grateful that no questions were asked. Again, he got a slight frown from Mibuchi, but that was all.

Ogiwara left the premises with his brother-in-law, very happy to leave this uncivilized muscle gorilla and ecstatic to have been able to show how bad his relationships could be with the team players in front of the basketball captain. He prayed that Akashi took note of his little show time and the new issues that might arise if he still insisted on dragging him into the club.

Akashi was undoubtedly a genius, but Ogiwara could be no less than a little cunning fox at times.

 **Additional Notes: I hope you liked the story so far! Next chapter will most probably be on Akashi-Ogiwara drama!**

 **Reviews will be much appreciated.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hello Hello Hello, Merry Christmas! Here's chapter 15 :D It's a sort of filler(I dont like it that much but I think it was necessary for the flow), the real drama will kick off fully in the next chapter. One quick question though: is the pace of the story alright with you all? Between the humorous bursts and the dramatic parts, I'm afraid of not being able to keep it constant or pleasant. I'm trying my best to balance those two and I hope that I'm doing justice to it. Anyway, enjoy the reading and have a nice day/evening~**

"Cabernet Sauvignon hmmm~," Ogiwara hummed. He was on full-on teasing mode today. He savored the shocked expression of his brother-in-law as they made their way into the school premises.

"Wh-what? Where?!" the older male asked agitatedly while feigning ignorance in an attempt to hide his initial shock. The expensive bottle of wine he bought was supposed to be well hidden away from his wife and little brother.

"Under the backseat of your car, duh. It was as obvious as the Gorgon head's red hair," the teen boy snorted in reply. The teacher could only hope that Shiori did not notice it. This was part of his surprise for today.

"Red wine and roses," the teen boy cooed as he watched a slight blush creep on his brother-in-law's face.

"Romantic dinner for the lovesick couple's fifth wedding anniversary," he continued teasingly as they kept walking. Ogiwara was enjoying the embarrassment of Takuo-san a bit too much.

"You will be the third wheel." The older male interrupted his moment to burst his happy bubble.

"Ouch," Ogiwara faked a pained expression while placing a hand on his heart. The teacher enjoyed the short moment of silence that was bestowed to him. He knew that the brunette would quickly come back with his sharp wit.

"I'm offended. I consider myself more of a majestic unicycle than a third wheel though. I can't help but lead everywhere I go," Ogiwara said haughtily, with a tinge of joke in his voice and a dramatic walk to make it even funnier. He imagined Akashi Seijuro saying something like that. Both males cracked up in laughter.

"Yeah, right," Takuo-san said in between his fits.

"What are we going to do today on this very special occasion?" Ogiwara asked when their laugh finally died down.

"I'm going to take your sister out for dinner. It's a surprise! Don't tell her," the older male broke to him. Takuo-san was smiling like some blushing teenager.

"ARE YOU BOTH LEAVING ME ALONE?" Ogiwara exclaimed. His whole plan of surprising the couple with his gift was going to be a major flop.

"I'm sorry, Shige-chan," the teacher quickly said when he saw the bright smile on his adorable brother-in-law's face drop.

"It's alright. You don't have to apologize," the brunette smiled back, but the disappointment that he felt was evident on his face. However, he did not want to get in the couple's way of romancing.

"At what time will you return home? Well, that is if you plan on returning," Ogiwara continued to taunt the elder male and watched(in inner delight) as the big idiot stuttered in his response.

"I-I don't think that yo-your sister will want to-to return h-home after the dinner," the older male mumbled quietly, but loud enough for Ogiwara to hear.

The teen boy chuckled awkwardly and blushed slightly in shame at the honest reply. He accidentally crossed the line with his taunting and got a share of embarrassment from his brother-in-law now. He did not want to know about his sister's romantic adventures, goddamn it! It was so stupidly innocent and dumb of him to think that the couple would spend the night at home with a kid like him around.

Ogiwara thought that his sister and Takuo would be enjoying the expensive wine after having a grandiose feast of a dinner at home itself, and felt really stupid when he realized that he did not even consider the probability of them going out to enjoy the night. Ogiwara sighed, but he could still get his gift across to the couple in some other way. He had taken the time of his life yesterday to prepare his finest creation of a New York cheesecake that would complement the red wine that his brother-in-law bought perfectly. He was a dedicated little brother, he concluded. He even went out of his way to get the best Philadelphia cheese around to make that cake. It was carefully kept in the school kitchen after a little negotiation with Maeno-sensei. Ogiwara decided that he would give it to Takuo before they set out for their dinner. He still wanted them to have that cheesecake and cry over its deliciousness because obviously, the couple would not be able to enjoy the maximum of their night's out without his dessert. His creations were godly and finger-licking good.

Anyway, at least he would not have to deal with his drunk sister now. _Score_. He had had his dose of PDA at home between the lovey-dovey couple, even though it was completely unintentional. Ogiwara had planned on locking himself in his room after dinner to give the intoxicated couple some privacy for this occasion. He did not want to stumble across them being all touchy-feely with each other after a few glasses of wine down.

Her sister's clinging habit always got completely over the top after a couple of drinks. Now, add a bottle of good quality wine to that, and only her drunk idiot husband could handle her. Ogiwara rejoiced at the idea of having the house for him for the night. He could watch his animes loudly without headphones on. Heck! He could even connect his laptop with the television screen to watch the episodes on widescreen. _Double Score_.

Now that the term assessments exams were all over, Ogiwara had been enjoying the last week of this term in peace and tranquility. The atmosphere was relaxed, jovial even, since the school basketball team brought the wining cup for the Interhigh tournament. Even after the win, the basketball captain made no attempt to approach him with the weird ass ideas that Ogiwara highly disapproved of. Akashi Seijuro had been awfully quiet lately, and Ogiwara hoped that the snob heir remained like that for the rest of his life: mouth shut, and away from him.

How _naïve_ of him, to hope for something like that.

Rakuzan won.

It was the last week of the first term. The InterHigh tournament as well as the term assessments were over and Akashi was a bit more free and relaxed. The school principal was pleased by their team's performance and victory, but for the heir, winning was like breathing. It was natural for him to win at everything. He had to derive pleasure from other stuffs that came along the so-called challenges.

He was slightly surprised to see the new light that Tetsuya chose. Their play was indeed passionate, and after a long time, Akashi was finally anticipating to play against someone, the new duo in Seirin. Kagami Taiga was a ball of raw, pure talent that blasted everyone on court, and Tetsuya's shadow became even more precise and accurate next to him. It was not as perfect as the Daiki-Tetsuya pair, but it was still very promising. Akashi was sure that Tetsuya would have even more to offer for the Winter Cup. He was not going to underestimate this new Light and Shadow duo, and knew better than to lay back and rest.

"I _humbly_ request you to allow the transfer of Ogiwara Shigehiro to the basketball club. His teamwork and coordination abilities can help to make a substantial improvement in our current team who unfortunately still have to reach their optimal performance those areas," Akashi said in a polite voice that he usually used in official meetings. He was in the principal's office and was lying through his teeth. To add up to the lie, he even gave the principal a few tapes of the matches that the brunette played in middle school. If he had to lie, he always made sure to sell the lie properly.

Even the principal knew better than to refuse to his little 'requests', especially since the Akashi heir went out of his way to bring proofs with him. Akashi Seijurou was straightforward in his approach. He was never a person to beat around the bushes. The decision was simple and quick.

After the little talk with the school principal during lunch, he got what he desired. Akashi left the man's office with a vicious smile that made everyone nearby cower away. The letter found in his hand was going to be his little source of personal entertainment for the final match during the Winter Cup. He did not have to consult with whosoever to get his work done. He was an Akashi after all.

Ogiwara Shigehiro was officially transferred to the first string of the basketball club.

 **Reviews will be much appreciated! It's Christmas time, let's be generous :P**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:Thank you so much for the reviews, follows and favourites! Time for some real drama time! I tried my best to portray their feelings and intentions to make it realistic enough, I hope I did a good job at it! In case you're wondering, this personality of Akashi is concerned only about winning and his own tastes of it, to a point where he does not even try to understand the feelings of others... Also, I did some character development of Shiori, and tried my best so that she does not sound too out of character. She's the first OC (even though she's a side character) I have to work on, just like this is the first fic that I am writing. Please let me know what you think of her, and the story! Anyway, I promise that there will be some funny times coming out later! This is like the longest chapter that I have written so far :O Enjoy the reading~**

Ogiwara's mind was in a haze. It was as if someone shot some drugs into his bloodstream and now he had adrenaline pumped up in his body, all ready to take flight and not fight. He tried his best to collect himself when the bomb was dropped onto him. He could not believe his ears when Maeno-sensei asked for such a simple, yet absolutely shocking question. Ogiwara recalled how everything was picture perfect till yesterday. He was able to give his cheesecake to the couple and spent his night in front of the TV watching anime and eating all kinds of junk food. He still remembered his thoughts of yesterday, of hoping that the Akashi heir would keep quiet and stay away from him. How _ridiculously naïve_ of him, he laughed.

"Ogiwara-san, how come you are here?" The teacher said in a confused tone while glancing at his bag of ingredients for the cooking club activities with a light frown. "You have transferred to the basketball club, right?"

"W-what?" Ogiwara's lip quivered as he replied in another question. His eyes widened in shock and disbelief. "I-I don't remember doing so," he tried to keep him calm but his shaky voice proved otherwise.

"Akashi Seijuro came to meet me during lunch, and dropped your resignation letter," the teacher explained. The older woman was feeling bad for the teen boy in front of him. All this was definitely happening against his will, but Akashi was too influential for anyone to oppose him.

"Good luck, Ogiwara-san," the teacher said while giving him a light pat on his back. "You should go and sort out things with the coach in case this is a misunderstanding," _though I highly doubt so_ were the unsaid words left behind.

Ogiwara simply nodded and turned around. This time, he knew that things were proceeding just like the heir wanted. The red devil had finally laid a trap so beautifully for him, and he had no choice but to step into it. He reluctantly made his way to the gym. It was the only place where he would get the answers to all his questions.

The first string's gym was resonating with the sound of basketballs hitting the grounds continuously. The players were practising their dribbling skills when Ogiwara came in front of the scene. He had to gather up some courage and keep his calm before he could finally enter in this dreaded place. He swiftly scanned the large building and literally flinched the moment he saw Akashi. As if he could feel the eyes of the brunette on him, Akashi Seijuro turned around to see him in the entrance, and the way his mismatched eyes lit up in recognition set off some alarm bells in Ogiwara's mind.

Akashi waved to someone and jogged in the locker room while Ogiwara stood still to observe him. He felt his energy start to drain as the redhead came out and approached him. This was like a _déjà vu_. The last time they both came here, the Akashi heir approached him similarly and dragged him inside. While he was recollecting this memory, the said boy managed to come in front of him.

"You're here, Shigehiro," the red head stated.

Ogiwara stood frozen in front of the entrance and kept mum. Fate was playing a very dirty trick on him, he concluded as he felt Akashi grab his wrist and drag him inside _again_. Thankfully, it was not towards the court this time, but the new direction that the Akashi heir took was still alarming even though his brother-in-law was found there.

Both teens headed to the P.E office without any disruption.

"Sorry to disturb you, Shirogane-sensei. Takuo-sensei" Akashi entered the room elegantly, followed by a trembling and not so elegant Ogiwara. The brunette was still under the shock of what was happening so promptly.

"Akashi-san, what brings you he-" the head coach looked up from some documents on his desk and got interrupted by this assistant.

"Shigehiro!" Takuo-san exclaimed in surprise as he took notice of the boy that followed the Akashi heir behind reluctantly.

"Hello... Shirogane-sensei. Sato-san," the brunette mumbled.

The whole room was filled in a tense silence for a while, until the redhead got into action and approached the head coach. Akashi Seijuro liked to do things in his own way; direct and straightforward.

"This is the letter of authorization for the transfer of Ogiwara Shigehiro to the first string of the basketball club," the heir said calmly.

Takuo-san gasped in shock, and the head coach was taken aback by the sudden statement of the Akashi heir. They were both supposed to be monitoring the recruitment proposals carefully to avoid this particular situation to rise, and in the meantime, Akashi had managed to slip under their noses and got his work done anyway. They were both appalled and amazed by the mode of operation of the heir. However, everyone in the room except the redhead knew that they had to avoid proceeding the way the heir wanted. The apathetic character of Akashi Seijuro was indeed no mystery, and both teachers did not want any student to go through an ordeal because of that.

"We cannot simply get him into the first string without testing his abilities and coordination," the head coach reasoned in as soon as he got over the initial surprise. His logic kicked in instantly.

"This much will not be required. Any tests will not be necessary. Shigehiro has nothing much on a physical level to give to the club yet. His strategic assessment on our team play will be highly beneficial. However, to make the best of this addition, I have already worked out a plan to raise his fitness and a training for his own play skills," Akashi articulated fluently even though he did not believe in one single word that just came out his mouth. _Strategic assessment_ , the red head wanted to scoff when he said those words.

"Akashi Seijuro, you seem to have forgotten your limits. I am the head coach. Any new recruits will need _my_ approval and meet the standards set by this club under _my_ scrutiny," the head coach reminded the heir of his place. Akashi could not simply waltz in and drag anyone into the club right in front of his face. He had a position and a dignity for his work.

"I've already assessed his skills and showcased his capacities to the Principal directly. The principal has given his approval, as stamped on this letter," Akashi's voice was polite, yet so commanding that even the head coach fell short of words for a moment. He was gracefully handed the letter.

"But we should also take into account the willingness of the student!" Takuo exclaimed in exasperation. He had finally gotten the occasion to voice out his greatest issue.

"I already had a little talk with Shigehiro. He will not have any problem with what has been set up," Akashi said to the assistant coach without batting an eye. His eyes glowed in menace.

Ogiwara shook his head vigorously at the statement of the red devil. He did have a talk with Akashi, but it was to tell him clearly that he had a big problem with following his orders. He was sure to try every single possible way to display his unwillingness to play basketball. He cried out loud and jerked off some angry tears. He stripped himself shirtless to show his bony features and even went to pick a fight with a member of the team to mess up his relationships with them. How could Akashi still not get it now? Was the snob dense or just did not care about his feelings? Ogiwara was getting even more frustrated and sick at his thoughts. He wanted this to end once for all.

"A little talk," Takuo said with a little laugh in complete disbelief. He rolled his eyes hard.

"A little talk where he told you square and fair that he will not be playing basketball, and no one, even you, could get him to play!" Takuo exclaimed. The last string of his patience had been snipped by the words of the redhead.

"He sure does not seem willing to me," the head coach commented. He was starting to feel even more sorry for the kid as he watched him shook his head in order to disagree with the words of the basketball captain.

"He will not have any problem with the team. I'll make sure of it," Akashi stated. He had to convince the whole audience here that he wanted Ogiwara _to play_ , even though it was not his real intentions.

"Akashi-san, we have recently added a new kid into the first string upon your request. I believe an addition at this period of time will not be necessary," Shirogane-sensei was trying hard to convince the heir otherwise.

Ogiwara felt very happy and grateful at the efforts that the older males in the room were making for him. He felt his eyes starting to prickle a little bit and he felt his throat clogging up. Gosh, he could not start crying now. He was feeling such a mixture of emotions. But he could not let these emotions get the best of him now, especially after witnessing how the Gorgon's head was unresponsive and indifferent to them.

"Are you underestimating the potentials of our opponents, Shirogane-sensei?" Akashi mused with a raised eyebrow.

"No, but I'm pretty confident about our current team. Any more player could tamper the our performance," the head coach quickly shot back. He was not falling for that petty trick.

"Our performance is indeed praise-worthy, but there is still some rooms for improvement. And I am certain that Shigehiro will be able to bring such changes in it. We should never take our opponents' capacities too lightly, Shirogane-sensei. It will be of our best interests for the team to be prepared for anything and everything," Akashi sounded so convincing in his words. If it was not those two older males in the room, anyone else would have already fallen for his words.

"This kid is visibly unfit and unwilling, Akashi-san. As a coach, I cannot ignore this fact," the head coach was still adamant, and Akashi was slowly losing his patience.

"As a basketball captain and as someone determined to win _, I do not give a single fuck about his feelings_. The emotions of people always change with time. Even if he is unwilling now, I will ensure that he integrates with the members properly and enjoy his time sooner rather than later." Akashi's voice was cold and unflinching.

Even though he quickly excused himself for the crude language before someone commented on it, it was clear as water that he did not really regret his choice of words. He had been able to portray his lack of interest and understanding of emotions clearly with those very words. The shocked expression of everyone else in the room proved that he had been able to make his point.

"As for the fitness part, shall I reiterate the fact that I have set up a detailed regimen and training for him to follow? I have the details of my plan ready with me, in case you want to check it over," Akashi continued with a very slight smirk. Upon the little nod of the head coach, he handled the older male the notebook he has in his hand.

"Shigehiro cannot play basketball for some personal reasons, Akashi-san. We are very grateful and happy that you think so highly of him and his capacities, but I'm afraid that both the head coach and I will have to talk to the principle and disapprove of this whole thing," Takuo reasoned as calmly as he could, though he was shaking with rage and concern.

"Clinical depression and some early signs of bulimia," Akashi recalled precisely from the medical report of Ogiwara. He was aware of everything, and made sure that everyone knew of his absoluteness.

Shirogane-sensei gaped slightly at this new revelation. His assistant did warn him that the little brunette had some issues concerning his defeat against the generation of Miracles, but he never knew that it was so serious. This whole thing was pitiful and disheartening. He was aware that the new basketball captain of his team was terribly cold, but he never knew that the Akashi heir could be so heartless.

" It has been taken care of since long, right? I don't see this as any sort of hindrance in his activities, especially not when he joined the cooking club. I highly doubt that this argument will be enough to convince the principal against my request _that has already been approved of_ ," he countered the reasoning of the assistant coach and reiterated a fact that the others seemed to ignore. There was no going back from here; his request had the stamp of approval of the principal.

"These disorders are not to be taken lightly," Takuo warned the red head. As someone who witnessed the downturn of Ogiwara, sincerity and a whole lot of concern was filled in his voice.

"These disorders have already been disposed of," Akashi stated callously. He had done his homework. He knew that Ogiwara had a great recovery and all. His current records were clean the last time he checked.

Ogiwara had remained silent the whole time as the others fought for him. He was happy to have such people in his life, and was really grateful to the head coach who, despite not knowing him well, gave him support whole-heartedly. But it was time for him to tackle the monster in disguise of a redhead in front of him personally. He was done with his playful tactics and constant arguments and had to bring an end to this.

"What do you really want, Seijuro?"

Ogiwara finally spoke. He was shaky, and his voice was slightly wavering. His eyes was prickling a bit more as he fought the tears that threatened to swarm his eyes. He was feeling so miserable at the sudden turn of events. His constant efforts got flushed down in a drain with a simple, stupid letter. He was infuriated, tired and disappointed but made sure to address to that manipulative devil in front of him without the respect he usually thrived on. He knew that the heir did not like being called by his first name. Though it was very childish of him, Ogiwara still wanted to irritate the snob and make him feel at least a little of what he was going through right now.

"Shige," Takuo said while throwing a look of concern towards the brunette. The teacher was feeling so helpless right now he could cry.

"I want you to join the regulars as a benched player and observe as well as comment on our team play on grounds for ameliorations." Akashi stated tactically.

"Will I have to play on court?" This was the part that mattered the most. Ogiwara was still focused as laser on avoiding any sort of games or plays.

"Obviously yes" Akashi replied instantly, as if there was no arguing over that. Ogiwara was sure to make it otherwise.

"I will not play," the brunette said with unwavering conviction. The red head had to get this through his thick skull.

"Your skills are too valuable to go to waste," Akashi coaxed in with a tone hiding some subtle sarcasm. Ogiwara was quick to catch it, though he was not sure about the other two elder males. _This red tyrant did not believe in his abilities_. This new revelation made Ogiwara even more irritated. He wanted to scream, cry and shoot Akashi on the head.

"I don't mind doing all the other things you wish, as long as I don't have to play that damned game against my own will!" Ogiwara yelled in exasperation, voice cracking in the end.

A drop of tears escaped his eyes. He did not even realize when his eyes got filled with tears. He was so focused on not losing his shit and crying his heart out loud to make them understand that he was not going to play that he did not notice his eyes filling up. Even though he managed to keep a somewhat steady voice and a straight face(according to him only), his brave façade was quick to break in front of the adamancy of the Akashi heir, as usual. He was of no match to that air of command that the heir carried with him. He felt so weak and little. Although he promised not to let himself feel low in front of those Emperor eyes, the authority of Akashi had him all shaking and crumbling. As long as he did not have to play, Ogiwara could prevent himself from breaking into a trashy mess of tears and snots. Akashi smirked at the words of the brunette.

"Fine," Akashi agreed spontaneously. This was what he ultimately wanted after all. He had finally made the little weakling tumble right into his trap set in the arguments he was using.

"WHAT?" the other three males said in utmost disbelief.

The head coach and his assistant was completely lost by the quick compliance of the red devil and Ogiwara could not believe the fact that Akashi, after all these discussions and sugar-coating, was so easy to convince. There had to be a catch somewhere, he was sure of it.

"I don't care, as long as you are joining the team and becoming a benched member," Akashi confessed, in a matter-of-fact way.

"One last thing, do I have to come to basketball practice and all?" Ogiwara quickly asked. He was still in shock and unwilling, but this was better than the previous deal. He was starting to have an inkling on the real intentions of the heir.

"If you have no intentions of playing in play-offs and matches, I don't see why your presence will be required during practice," Akashi articulated smoothly. He did not want to waste his time on any weakling.

So this was it, Ogiwara thought. He laughed tiredly. The heir only wanted to have his face around, and was not really trying to get him to play. He felt a little bit relieved as he finally caught the real intention of Akashi. He was not sure why the snob wanted him around, but at least he was not going to play! _Wait, the cooking club?!_ Ogiwara tensed almost immediately.

"But Akashi-san, you just said that his presence is highly required! You cannot go back to your own words like that," the head coach finally got his voice back.

Shirogane Eiji felt completely insulted by the little snob in front of him. Some of the respect he had towards the Akashi heir crumbled. He felt inferior for not being able to prevent this absolutely ridiculous decision of Akashi. What did this kid want to achieve by doing all of this? There was definitely no real advantage to drag Ogiwara into the club, and to see the captain quickly dismissing the idea of having him play confirmed his thought, even though the basketball emperor was saying otherwise before.

"Shigehiro and I have gotten to a point of compromise," Akashi spat back.

"Is this some kind of sick joke?" Takuo-asked incredulously. The head coach nodded in approval.

"Think of it as you want. It does not change the fact that Ogiwara Shigehiro is now part of our basketball team, _with the principal's approval_ ," Akashi Seijuro emphasized on the last words to make the teachers understand that they would not be able to do anything about it, irrespective of their position. He had their boss dancing on his tunes.

"Shigehiro, are you all right with this?!" the assistant coach asked concernedly.

The brunette chuckled slightly. _Did he seem to be alright?_ He wanted to scream in frustration and cry his way out of this whole mess, but he could not do anything. No one could do anything in front of Akashi Seijuro. The basketball Emperor was operating on another level, completely unreachable and unstoppable. He felt like a joke, being dragged into the club just for his face and remaining useless. He did not want to be part of this, but he could not go and win against Akashi. It was all futile. Putting on the best smile he could so that he could ease the concern of the people supporting him, he replied.

"I'm all right, Sato-san. Please don't worry about me," he tried to convince the teachers in the room. His glistening eyes and strained expression did not make anything better though. Even a blind man could conclude that the brunette kid was not doing well.

"Shigehiro, you don't have to-woah!" Takuo-san exclaimed in panic as he saw the brunette rush to the paper bin and puked out the contents of his stomach.

Ogiwara's stomach always took the blow whenever he went on a roller-coaster of emotions. The frustration and relief that came over him made his stomach retaliate. The teacher quickly rushed to his side and patted his back as he kept on puking. Everyone paused at this sudden interruption in their dialogue and the head coach looked at the little brunette in concern. After the eating issues he recently learned about this kid, he could only pray that this was not the start of another downturn. However, Ogiwara signed that he was okay even while puking. After washing his mouth with some bottled water and swiping it dry with his handkerchief, he got up and insisted that he was fine.

After hearing the brunette, Akashi made his way out. His job was done, he could get back to the others now. He had been able to drag that little coward into his web, and was now looking forward to waving his face in front of Tetsuya for the finals and contemplated on the possible reactions of the blunette. Would his play being affected? Would his usually expressionless face show some hints of emotion? Ogiwara was like a dormant volcano that would erupt on the finals of the Winter Cup in front of the former Phantom Sixth man.

As soon as the red tyrant went out, Ogiwara turned around to look at his brother-in-law _with pleading eyes._

"I get it. I will speak to Maeno-sensei. You don't have to stop your cooking club activities," the teacher coaxed the trembling brunette. Ogiwara finally smiled genuinely. Takuo was glad to be able to do at least that much for the teen boy.

 _Thank you_.

* * *

"Here comes the million dollar question," Ogiwara muttered as soon as the Akashi heir went out of their sight.

He threw his dead weight on the nearest chair and looked at the standing assistant coach in front of him. The head coach was slumped into his chair in front of the office desk, looking tired and disappointed with the sudden turn of events. Everyone was mentally worn out after tasting the little ruse of Akashi. Directing his gaze back on his brother-in-law, Ogiwara took in a long, tired breath.

"Do we tell Shiori-nii about this?" Ogiwara finally asked.

Upon the mention of his wife's name, Takuo's expression changed drastically, displaying the wave of fear and concern that hit him. He fell on his hands and knees in despair, face all white and ghostly.

"Do we have to tell her?" the teacher asked in a tiny voice. Ogiwara could only pout in chagrin at the sight in front of him. He did not have to say anything else to get his message across.

"She's going to kill me," Takuo stated.

"Kill _us_ ," Ogiwara corrected.

After all, they were both partners in crime in this. They both chose to keep this whole thing about Akashi hidden from Shiori, and now that it had gotten out of control, they had no choice but to spill the beans. Akashi Seijuro was unpredictable. They had absolutely no idea of his next move, and if they chose to keep on hiding it away from his sister after this, they could end up tangled in their own web of lies. It would be better to get Shiori involved and have her support in this. Even though it was unwilling and reluctant, it was ultimately Ogiwara's decision to enter the club after laying down his conditions. He was still amazed, but not surprised, that Akashi complied to them so easily.

The head coach could only shrug as he listened to the conversation between the two. He was very well aware of the quirks and stubbornness of Takuo Shiori since she was an Ogiwara in high school. He could only pity his poor assistant, who happened to be one among the first batch of basketball players he trained since he started his career as a teacher and coach. Their marriage was of no wonder to him. Takuo Sato and Ogiwara Shiori were the 'it couple' during their youthful times and even the teachers knew about them. The moment he saw Takuo Sato in the staff room, he knew that the male would be the perfect candidate as his assistant. A couple of words were all that he required to convince his former student to work alongside with him; the male was a formidable player and had an extensive knowledge about the game.

Ogiwara and Takuo excused themselves to leave early. They had to decide the approach from which they could reveal the basketball issue to Shiori in order to get the minimal damage possible.

"No mentions of crying and puking," they both agreed simultaneously as they left the room.

To say that Takuo Shiori was currently furious would be the understatement of the year. The short lady was _fuming_. Her adorable little brother had to confront the Akashi idiot and her husband could not do anything about it. To worsen the whole matter, they even hid it from her all this time and chose to tell her only today at dinner time. Why did they decide to reveal this important piece of information to her now? There had to be a catch behind the discussion they were having, and as a journalist, the little brunette lady would make sure to poach everything out of them by the end of their conversation. Right now, she had to get to some more vital issues.

"Did he hurt you?" she enquired despite the rage she was experiencing. Her concern for her little brother outshined every dark feelings she was experiencing right now.

"No!" the boy quickly answered. Shiori was still suspicious, but she let it pass this time.

Turning around to the idiot of a husband she had, she threw him a death glare and a such a _polite_ smile that could put the one of Akashi Seijuro to shame. Everyone around her could see the dark aura emancipating out of her. Even before she opened her mouth, Sato started to chicken out and slowly cower away from her.

"My _dear_ husband, where were you the whole time?" she asked in a sickeningly sweet voice that was a complete contrast to her current appearance.

"I helped him! I helped Shige-chan to escape the Gorgon Head!" the older male quickly explained. "We even did a little skit together to get away from the red devil" he added.

"Yeah, I felt like Leonardo Dicaprio and Takuo-san fell for my acting like the big idiot he was!" Ogiwara quickly sputtered. They had to diffuse the ticking bomb inside her sister before it exploded. No one wanted to face the full wrath of a scandal journalist who never masked her words.

"And what did that evil brat do for you to have to resort to some horrible acting to get away from him?" the menacing smile was still plastered to her face as Shiori threw the next question to her brother.

 _Yes!_ Things were finally going according to the plan of Ogiwara and Takuo. They had to steer the whole discussion away from the heir and lay more emphasis on Ogiwara's doing to be able to distract the furious lady. They had finally managed to create an opening where Ogiwara could glorify as well as amplify the honest words he threw at the Akashi heir.

"Actually," Ogiwara started with a smug expression, "he could not do anything much."

"Ah, really?" Shiori was skeptical and unconvinced.

"I was the one doing the talking the whole time," Ogiwara declared proudly.

"I told him, _right on his face_ , that he was horrendous, horrible brat who was stuck up in the ass and fed on the grandeur of his family name for breakfast, lunch and dinner," Ogiwara started. The smile of his sister dropped in surprise and her dark aura started to dissipate. Before the lady got to respond, he quickly continued.

" I told him that if he wanted to get me on the court again, he may as well suck my toes because shit ain't gonna happen without my consent," he added while snapping his fingers. Ogiwara felt _sassy_.

Under normal circumstances, he would have been up for some serious booting from her sister because of his scandalous choice of words but right now Shiori was biting her lips with wide eyes that commanded for more information.

"Ogiwara told him that he was not going to play just because some majestic idiot like Akashi Seijuro asked him to do so," Takuo chimed in. The expression on his wife's face was starting to change for the better.

"I also told him, let me quote again, "I will play basketball when I fucking feel like doing so" and laughed at his shocked expression when he heard my words. It was so awesome," Ogiwara said with a wide grin. He sounded so convincing that for a few moments, he thought that he really did laugh at the red devil.

"Please tell me that you told him that he will not be able to get to you!" Shiori exclaimed as if her team was going for a winning goal. Her anger had finally subsided and she was now behaving like an excited kid watching her favorite team win in a decisive match.

"I made him understand clearly that he will not be able to bend my will at any cost," Ogiwara confirmed as her sister screamed in joy.

 _Poof_! The magic trick was done. No one would have guessed that Shiori was fuming in rage a few moments ago. If there was some similarities running in the Ogiwara family other than their chestnut-colored hair and brown eyes, it would be how easily they could be pacified, Takuo speculated. While watching his wife going all mellow-mellow after the bold statements of Ogiwara, he recalled the time in the gym where he only had to place a cream puff in the mouth of the teen boy to calm him. He chuckled at the memory.

Shiori allowed herself to be distracted for a few moments. After all, her little brother got to say some pretty nasty(but true) stuffs to the pretty nasty brat who did wrong to him. If she was in heavens when she learned about the decision of her brother to join the cooking club, she now felt like she had attained nirvana when she listened to Ogiwara. She was proud of her little brother for standing his grounds. However, in the end, her logic kicked in and she faced the males seriously, even though she was no more as furious as she was initially.

"Why are you telling me all this right now?" she asked.

Both Takuo and Ogiwara took in a deep breath. The final moment had come. They exchanged glances before getting to the talk.

"A-actually," Ogiwara stammered.

Shiori had a bad feeling as she watched the two boys in front of him fidgeting and avoiding her gaze.

"We kind of…" her husband tried to continue but got lost midway.

"Could you cut the slacks?" she groaned while getting impatient for an answer.

"Akashi managed to get me transferred to the basketball club!" Ogiwara exclaimed quickly. "But I don't have to play, or do anything at all. That is- " Ogiwara tried to explain but got cut off by his sister.

"HUHHHHHHHH?!" Shiori exclaimed in shock.

Takuo and Ogiwara braced themselves for the worst as they started to break down everything to the lady of the house. Shiori could only roll her eyes as she thought.

 _This was going to be a long night._

* * *

Akashi was pleased, to say the least. He had finally managed to make the little weakling fall into his trap, and no one could do anything about it. He looked forward to some entertainment as he started to speculate on the finals of the Winter Cup. He had completed his work for the day and was heading to his room when he got interrupted by one of his errand boys.

"Akashi-bocchan, the arrangements have been made for your training camp. The only issue was the meal service, which is available for breakfast and dinner only. I have already contacted one of our chefs to accompany your team to cater for the lunch course," the officer reported.

 _Who said that he had to wait for the Winter Cup for some entertainment?_ Akashi smirked as a wicked idea lit up in his mind. He already had made Ogiwara part of the club, and the boy did say that he would comply to everything he said as long as he was not playing. Why not start his little taunting game in summer itself? That little brunette had the nerve to call him a spoiled rich brat and some other things that he did not really bother to remember. A little payback would be nice, right? Akashi acted on a whim as he proceeded to talk.

"The chef will not be necessary," he stated before heading away.

Ogiwara loved to brag about his creations in the kitchen. It was about time for Akashi Seijuro to have a taste of it.

 **A/N: I wanted to make Takuo and Shiori teenage sweethearts sooo much I'm so sorry if you didn't like it! :(**

 **Thank you for reading and following the story! I hope you enjoyed the story so far. Reviews will be much appreciated~**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: As you may have noticed, I did some changes in the previous chapters. I did not edit any scene or parts, just condensed them into a few longer chapters rather than numerous shorter ones. So, it's not really necessary to start reading it from the start again. You guys can carry on with the story from here itself! and also, the chapters will be longer now, yayyyy! ~ but, I might take more time to write them, so sorry in advance! I think i'll be updating once or luckily twice per week.**

 **Enjoy the reading!**

The tension in the car ride was so thick that it could be easily cut with a butter knife. Sato was on the wheel, Shiori was besides him looking all focused and menacing while Ogiwara kept his mouth shut in the backseat. This past week had been like a trip to Hell and back; Ogiwara was so glad that they informed her sister about the doings of Akashi beforehand. When the red tyrant announced that he would be coming with the team to the training camp, Ogiwara was not even surprised, though he should have been. It was utterly futile to go against the snob when he made up his mind. Ogiwara knew better things to do than to go talk his way out with a determined Akashi. He kept silent and agreed to whatever the majestic idiot was planning.

He was already used to the unpredictability of the Akashi heir. Akashi Seijuro was definitely someone not to mess with. He learned that the hard way, and truth to be told, after all the nightmares he went through because of the heir, he just could not care less of what was happening. Akashi had been able to concoct something even worse than the worst case scenario he had imagined till now. However, Ogiwara found a little bit of comfort in the point of conciliation he had agreed on with Akashi, and he could only hope that the said boy would keep true to his words, which was also very unlikely when he thought more about it. Well, if the Gorgon head tried to force him into something he was not willing to do, he would just throw a loud and teary fuss that would put everyone in such an embarrassing position that they would have no choice but to tell him to stop and do whatever he wanted. His little masculine pride had already been crumbled like a cookie in milk when he made himself a trashy mess after confronting Akashi in the gym; he would do anything to get his message passed.

The biggest change in this whole equation was now the addition of his sister in his little team of supporters. Takuo Shiori had started off his career as a journalist, and got promoted to the scandal division due to the outrageous mannerisms she showcased on professional grounds. Ogiwara was glad that his sister was different at home, though she could be very sharp and witty at times. However, when they told her that Ogiwara had to go to the camp, she was the incarnation of rage and wrath on Earth. It took both males days to convince her to let Ogiwara go with Takuo. When the lady announced that she needed to talk to Akashi before letting Ogiwara embark on the trip, no one in the house could refuse her.

Takuo Shiori tried her all to convince her little brother, who was acting like an idiot like her stupid husband, to find a way out of the camp. She even went to the extreme of serving them the silent treatment but since it was Ogiwara's decision to agree, she had no choice but to comply to his choice ultimately. She did not really want the redhead to put his little brother in more compromising positions and she was going to have a little talk with the problematic kid about it.

She was going all out today, set and ready to kill.

By the time they arrived at the school premises, the majority of the team had already gathered. The head coach was checking some last minute details with Akashi. After getting their little luggage out of the car, the Takuo couple and Ogiwara approached the little group near the van that had been rented for the trip.

"Long time so see, Shirogane-sensei!" Shiori exclaimed, _genuinely_ happy as she greeted her former homeroom teacher.

"Indeed, Ogiwa- Oh, my bad, Takuo Shiori-san. Habits die hard, I guess," the head coach said monotonously. _Why was the fury lady here?_

"Can I borrow the basketball captain for a little moment?" Shiori asked the teacher with a little bit of malice glinting her eyes. _Oh, so that was it._

"Sure, but don't be too long. We'll be leaving soon," the coach agreed.

Akashi watched with faint amusement as a little lady, visibly the sibling of Ogiwara, approached the head coach and exchanged a couple of words with him. All the time, he stayed silent next to the older man, and observed the woman. As someone who lived the grand life, he was fairly familiar with the likes of Takuo Shiori and knew very well how to keep their mouth and pen under control. Scandal journalists had a personality of their own, and Shiori was well-known for her blunt one in the profession. However, the first thing that struck him when he noticed the lady was not her personality. _She was unbelievably short._ Akashi wanted to chuckle at the sight in front of him. Even with the big ass heels she was wearing, Takuo Shiori was still shorter than him. As someone who admitted that he lacked some in the height department, seeing some older person remarkably shorter than him was a breath of fresh air. He would never be able to take someone of this height seriously in his life.

Akashi was looking forward to what the short lady was going to throw at him. He could always count on this family for some entertainment, he concluded.

"Hello, Akashi Seijuro," Shiori started with a polite, _plastic_ smile. Okay, so mastery of the fake Barbie smile ran in the Ogiwara blood apparently.

"Mind coming with me for a little while?" Before Akashi got the chance to agree, Shiori grabbed his wrist and dragged him to the other side of the van, where they could get a bit more privacy.

Ogiwara and Takuo gulped at the scene, and everyone silenced themselves. Akashi Seijuro was the one who usually did all the pushing and pulling. Ogiwara and the assistant coach could only pray for the safety of the short lady and her job. They quietly made their way into the vehicle to spy on the little conversation happening on the other side. If things went out of control, they would have to interrupt it.

"Do not mess with my little brother anymore," she was straight-forward in her approach.

"I am not doing anything of the kind," Akashi stated politely. This was all funny to him. He decided to play along with it.

"Oh, I'm not falling for that. It's clearer than crystal that you're picking on Shiegehiro for some personal entertainment," Shiori retorted back. _Sharp,_ Akashi thought.

"I can't seem to understand from where you are seeing things," Akashi mused, a light smile making its way on his face. The little brunette was feisty and apparently unfazed by his Emperor eyes.

"Never underestimate a 5'1" Japanese woman, you insolent brat. My brother is not in this alone." Shiori's outrageous choice of words was surfacing out. She knew that talking to Akashi was next to useless; if the red tyrant wanted to spread terror, there was no avoiding it. What she wanted to get across was the fact that _Ogiwara was not alone_. His little brother had the support of many people.

"I've seen the likes of you. I've thrown dirt on your kind of people. You do not want to mess with me," Shiori was firm and unflinching in her words; a contrast to how Ogiwara or the assistant coach would have been while addressing to Akashi.

Shiori narrowed her eyes and looked at the heir skeptically. She leaned in closer to him and poked his chest in a defying manner.

"You better be nice to my little brother, or else you will face the worst of me, and I can be very scary when I want to be. Even your head coach will agree to that," Shiori stated. Her brother-complex was something not to be reckoned with in tough times like this; even an Akashi Seijuro could not shake the protective stance she had towards her brother.

Akashi had to struggle physically to not snort on her face. This was getting too ridiculous. Emotions could make people act in strange ways. A skimpy journalist was threatening the heir of the Akashi Company just because of this petty thing called emotion. If the said lady had kept her feelings in check and acted logically, she would not be present here in the first place. Just because of her over protectiveness towards the little weakling of her brother, this shorty had the guts to come in front and spoke like _that_ to an Akashi.

"Is that all?" Akashi asked, ever so polite and indifferent.

"Take good care of Shigehiro," Shiori warned the redhead before turning back in search of her brother and husband. The said boys rushed out of the bus before she joined the group of waiting members. Now that she had had her little talk with a rather unresponsive and unconcerned Akashi, she had to talk with her person of so much interest and affection.

"I want you to send me a picture of each your meal, before and after, for breakfast, lunch and dinner," Shiori addressed to Ogiwara.

"But you will get jealous and hungry at the delicious sight!" Ogiwara whined teasingly. He managed to break her sister out of her professional attitude.

"Don't worry about that. I'm pretty confident with my cooking skills. And also, do not forget to send me a message every night to tell me how your day passed, with a nice selfie! And yes," she leaned in closer to her brother to ask something secretly. "You well get a full meal treat from me for every embarrassing pictures of Sato you take and send me."

"If someone in the team bother you, send me their name and class," she said while sending a death glare to practically every club member that was going for the camp.

"I can write a scandal into their life," she said with a maniacal grin. Everyone who did not know the brunette lady gulped, confusion and terror clearly written on their face. Before Shiori could continue throwing threats and feeding fear like candies to the team members, the head coach quickly cut in.

"Enough talking now. Everyone, take your bags and get into the van. We'll be heading out shortly."

* * *

As soon as Ogiwara saw the seating arrangements in the van, he rolled his eyes. The only remaining seat was next to the muscle guy, and the fact that everyone was looking at him quizzically as he slowly made his way into the van was not really helping either. He did not want to be here too, goddamn it!

When Nebuya saw the little shrimp who dared to defy his logic before make himself comfortable next to him as the engine roared into life, he scowled. What was this little pathetic excuse of a human being doing in the van heading to the training camp among the basketball prodigies? He knew for sure that the brunette was no prodigy. He did not smell like one of them.

"Who are you?" he spat rudely. He met with a cocked eyebrow from Ogiwara.

"Someone who loathe the existence of your likes," the boy replied in the same tone he got questioned.

"And what are you doing here?" Mibuchi asked cautiously, not wanting to come out as offensive. The little brunette could become really feisty when angered.

"Oh! Your beloved captain did not inform you? How ruuuude," Ogiwara said aloud, making sure that a certain redhead sitting in front completely was catching his words. He was met with more confusing stares and a few raised eyebrows.

"I'm Ogiwara Shigehiro and apparently, I'm the newest member of the first string. Ridiculous? I know right," Ogiwara said with a dead laugh and a face slightly contorted with disgust. Nebuya nodded in approval.

"Ohhh.." Mibichi nodded slowly. "Shige-chan, it is then! Welcome to the club" the black-haired boy exclaimed happily. Everyone knew better than to question the intentions of their captain.

"What position will you be playing?" Hayama asked.

"You see," Ogiwara started seriously, "I have a _very important_ role here. I am the joke of the club. Being the stubborn mutt I am, I am not going to touch any ball or play any game. I am here because your captain could not resist my pretty face and had to drag me along," he said sarcastically, mouth pointed and eyes wide to show his displeasure.

"Yeah, right. Nice one," _Funny guy_ , Hayama and Mibuchi thought simultaneously as they cracked up in laughter.

"What will you be doing then? You lack too much muscle to do some good for the team," Nebuya was not happy of this addition in the first string. He did not like the little shrimp at all.

"Wow. Thank you for stating the obvious. Still as much of a genius I see, huh" Ogiwara said without dropping the sarcasm. "You better start watching your mouth around me or I may feed you some dead rat for lunch," the brunette warned him. Nebuya scoffed.

"The same applies to you all. I have two reasons for coming along," Ogiwara's hostility towards the basketball players was almost palpable as he talked.

"I will be preparing your lunch every day during the trip," he revealed his actual task first, earning a surprised glance from the muscle guy. Things were starting to make a little more sense to the club members.

"And I am going to annoy the shit out of your captain!" Ogiwara exclaimed cheerfully.

 _This was payback time._ He did not bother himself with the dumbfounded looks that were thrown at him and relished in the silence that suddenly fell in the van. Some of the players laughed nervously at his statement, thinking that he was joking, but no more words were uttered. The red tyrant did not provide any kind of response to his bold statement from what he could see, and Ogiwara was happy about it.

Ogiwara had been thinking a lot during the past few days, ever since hell broke loose and he got dragged into the basketball club. Akashi Seijuro had already gotten the best he could out of him. He was still annoyed and upset about the club transfer. Akashi had been able to bring him even closer to his former passion, but this was the limit; the redhead would not get him to do more than this. Ogiwara was in the club, surely, but he was not going to play. Going to the training camp to cook food was annoyingly sick to him, but it was better than practicing along with the team. He did not trust the members at all. They got Akashi Seijuro as their captain, after all.

He was determined to make Akashi regret his decision of bringing him along, but he also had to prove his worth as a spectacular cook impress those who though little of him. He did not really have to mess up his food just because of some snobby brat who hit on his nerves. He could get to Akashi in many other ways. With the witty remarks and foul mouth, Ogiwara was sure that he could figure out other ways to annoy the basketball captain. It was Akashi Seijuro wanted him into the club, right? That redhead might as well bear his obstinacy and rudely honest personality now. He did not have to sugarcoat his words or go along with the 'Holier-than-thee' attitude of the heir. The more Ogiwara thought that way, the better he felt about himself. If the snob brat thought that he would follow his order like some damned scared puppy, Akashi Seijuro was up for some major disappointment.

Ogiwara's train of thought on how to annoy the Akashi heir in 101 ways got interrupted after some time when the buff guy next to him decided to make himself a bit too comfortable and _sprawled_ on the seat. _Did he think he owned the place or something?_ Ogiwara was annoyed at the intrusion in his personal space, especially by some oversized gorilla.

"Hello? I'm still here," Ogiwara reminded the big guy of his presence. "I need some space too."

"You are so tiny, like a kid. You don't need that much space. Be quiet," Nebuya reasoned. Ogiwara scowled, cheeks reddening in fury.

"Excuse _you_!? Invasion of personal space _much_?" his tone was slightly hitched, grabbing the attention of people sitting nearby. Nebuya ignored him.

"Look at this brat!" Ogiwara rolled his eyes. "And here I thought that Akashi was the worst rotten apple in the bunch," he muttered to himself.

"I need my personal space," Ogiwara demanded politely, with a tint of irritation in his voice. Still no response from the buff boy.

"I want you to stop poisoning my air with your toxic presence. Please, move away as far as possible from me," Ogiwara's patience was getting loose. He felt like he was talking to a wall at the lack of response. He waited a few seconds to a little movement, and finally snapped when Nebuya remained still.

"So, you are not only a dumb, judgmental idiot, but also deaf?" Ogiwara mused in fake awe.

"I'm not!" The muscle packet retorted back angrily. Ha! _Score_. Ogiwara knew perfectly how to make dumb guys respond. He simply had to throw the bitter truth on their face and watch them deny the whole thing heatedly.

"Sure Jan. Now, will you please move a bit?" Ogiwara was getting more irritated with every passing second.

"No. You don't need so much space," Nebuya said nonchalantly.

"You are not someone to decide that for me," Ogiwara spat back. The muscle guy had definitely caught the Akashi germs of bad mannerism and fake grandeur, he concluded. This was so going to be a pain in the ass.

"Your lack of muscles says it all," Nebuya was not going to move anytime soon.

"Fine! If that's the case, then forget about getting meat for lunch!" Ogiwara shouted at the muscle idiot. Nebuya's eyes widened in shock at the statement.

"What?" he asked, not really believing his ears. _Double Score,_ Ogiwara rejoiced _._ Nothing better than using meat to catch the attention of a muscle freak.

"You heard me right," Ogiwara said smugly. Nebuya seemed to reconsider his choices for a while, but in the end, he put on his stoic face and remained unmoved.

"Who cares, hmph. I bet it's not even that good, your cooking," he said, looking completely uninterested.

"HAAAAAAA" Ogiwara exclaimed, getting red in rage. This muscle monkey did _not_ just insult his cooking. He was so going to give that guy a piece of his mind as he sprang up his seat to face him with a menacing frown.

"Woah, calm down! Why don't you come sit next to me Shige-chan?" Mibuchi quickly interrupted the bickering that was quickly escalating into something worse in front of him. "Kotaru, go sit next to Nebuya. You sure know how to handle him better," he mumbled to his friend.

Seeing that he was at the centre of attention in the back, Ogiwara dimmed down and went to take the seat next to Mibuchi. He thought that as long as he cooked good food and managed to piss of the basketball captain time and again, he would be satisfied with the whole ordeal. But now, Ogiwara had another task added up in his bucket list for the trip. He was _determined_.

Ogiwara swore on the sweetness of his chocolate profiteroles that he would make that muscle monkey go through a mental meltdown.

* * *

 _No. Just no._

Ogiwara was _not_ sharing a room with the oversized gorilla. Whoever had decided this room arrangement needed to shut up and never breathe again. This was so _not_ happening. Hours ago, he swore to put the said monkey into a mental meltdown, but now Ogiwara felt like having a mental breakdown himself. Akashi Seijuro was a Devil, with a capital D.

Great. So, he was stuck in the same room with the person he despised with an unwavering passion in some hideous mountain inn. He had to cook for a team of eight growing boys and the coaches. He had no one to help him or even understand his pain and sufferings in life. Ogiwara was getting _melodramatic_. What would happen to his personal space, now that he had to share his room with a densely thick guy who apparently did not know how to use his brains correctly to calculate the most basic concepts like privacy? He had a taste of it in the van, and _no._ He was not going to stay silent on this.

"Oh man, not this thing now," Nebuya muttered as took notice of Ogiwara.

"I am not staying here," Ogiwara stated. "I'm done. I'm done with all of this."

"Great. Say that when you are finally out of here," Nebuya replied as he started unpacking his bag.

 _Things were already starting badly._

 ** _A/N:_** **I hope you liked the story so far! Rates and reviews will be sooo much appreciated! Now that I did some changes, I hope that I did not mess things up with the story, let me know please? I will be grateful!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Second update of the week! yayyy~ I want to say a special thank you to Special Blue for her lengthy review! Now that the team is at the summer camp, get ready for some humour coming up! Enjoy the reading ^^**

Ogiwara felt _secured_.

He could feel the cold, chilly breezes of the ending night lightly grazing his exposed skin on his waist. Wearing a thin undershirt to bed seemed like a brilliant idea at first, but the coldness of the night on the mountains quickly settled in to make him slightly regret his decision. Now that the dark pit of the night was over, he assumed that the coldest parts were coming to an end. A few birds had started their morning gospel when Ogiwara started to gain a little consciousness from the deep slumber he was in.

However, the breaking dawn was not what made him feel so secured and warm. Strong, firm arms around his waist, a pair of large, warm palms resting on his flat belly inside his undershirt and the big body of heat pressed against his back was homely yet heavenly. When Ogiwara felt the little warmth radiating through the thin fabric to his chilled body, he was gleeful. He was savoring each and every passing second. He felt loved like a little puppy in the lap of its master, wishing for time to freeze so that he could remain eternally like that, when nothing else mattered. It had been so long since the last time he was spooned in bed, and Ogiwara welcomed the change by lightly pushing himself more into his beloved's hold.

 _Wait._ Since when did he have a lover?

Ogiwara tensed up instantly. He frowned while snapping into full consciousness, but kept his eyes closed. He reeled up his mind for past events that could have led him into this delicate situation. He had always been a lone wolf. He remembered the previous hectic evening. His loud and messy whine with the head coach and Sato-san for a room change. Switching places with the blond guy and sharing a room, _with separate twin beds_ , with Mibuchi. Unpacking some of his stuffs in his own little corner. The arctic pole cold shower. Mibuchi falling asleep as soon as he hit the bed. Switching the light off and going to own his bed, _alone_. After taking note of the empty bed in front of him as soon as he opened his eyes, he came to the most plausible conclusion along with a freaking confusion.

 _How the hell did Mibuchi end up on his little bed, and spooning him on top of that?_ Ogiwara almost fainted in embarrassment upon his previous thoughts. His cheeks flushed in a bright pink color as he fully registered the whole situation he was literally stuck in. Never in his entire life would he openly admit that he liked getting spooned and cuddled, he decided. This was a secret that he would carry to his grave.

Slowly, Ogiwara shifted one of the hands up and away from him. He decided not to wake up the basketball player since it was really early, barely four in the morning. He might be hostile and distrustful towards the team, but he was not as heartless as the captain was and thus, the brunette decided that this was one of the rare moments where he would show his considerate nature. He would let the uncrowned king rest and refill his energy for the hellish training awaiting him later. After all, it would be better for Ogiwara to escape while the predator was laying asleep and unaware.

He cautiously untwined the arms of Mibuchi away from him and began shifting away when the said boy grumbled. Ogiwara froze instantly. That smiling giant was not going to wake up now, right? His breathing hitched up when he heard the boy's hand moving around and grabbed him back on the bed in his arms. Was he being mistaken as a human-sized teddy bear or something? Things got back to square one.

Ogiwara resisted the urge to squeal in utter shock and shame when he felt the hands of Mibuchi travel into his vest. Okay, he was not being mistaken as a non-living object. The black haired boy started to rub his belly slowly, and caressed his waist occasionally while humming in approval. Ogiwara felt his cheek heating up even more at the little actions of the sleeping boy. If he was in Mibuchi's place, he would be humming in approval too after getting into contact with such smooth, lush skin like his own. However, it was not time to think of useless stuffs like that. No matter how much he liked being held so fondly, Ogiwara needed to get away from the teen spooning him and the strong grip placed on his body was only complicating things up. Ogiwara struggled for some time, but all in vain. He had no choice but to wake the other teen.

"Mibuchi-san," he said while turning around to face the said boy. He was now facing the chest of sleeping boy while being held in his arms. Full-on cuddle pose.

"Please wake up," he said with a poke. He tried shaking the boy, but got no response. Mibuchi was still snoring slightly.

"Mibuchi-saaan," Ogiwara whined a bit louder. His cheeks must have already become as red as Akashi's hair. The said boy grunted in disapproval and tightened his grip around the brunette.

"S-Stop!" Ogiwara exclaimed in embarrassment while trying to pry away from the pair of strong arms surrounding him.

"No," the other teen mumbled in his sleepy state, "just a little bit more…"

"Mibuchi Reo!" Ogiwara snapped, forcing the said boy out of his sleep.

"What is it?" the boy mumbled, voice all groggy and thick.

"Let me go," Ogiwara pleaded seriously.

"Don't want to. You're so soft and warm.. like a baby," Mibuchi replied, half-conscious about the whole situation.

"Mibuchi-san, I'm not a baby! I'm Ogiwara!" Ogiwara whisper-yelled in despair.

Mibuchi opened his eyes to see the little ruckus that his partner in bed was doing and was met with even more darkness. He was not really pleased to be forced out of his deep slumber, but he liked the soft texture that his fingers were on. He squinted his eyes hard to see the person who he was holding, and tried to guess who it was without really trying to move away. He liked the feeling of holding someone petite.

"…I'm Ogiwara!"

The moment his ears registered that name, Mibuchi felt as if the all the air had been knocked out of his lungs. So, the soft texture that he was feeling with his hands right now was Ogiwara's back. When realization dawned upon him, he started to loosen his grip around the brunette, and was not really surprised when the said boy sprung out the bed and switched on the lights. Mibuchi was now squinting hard to look at the little blushing boy in front of him. From the facial expression that the brunette was making, he knew that he might be up for some scolding.

"Shige-chan," Mibuchi mumbled in recognition. Both teens were now sporting flushed cheeks.

"Get out of my bed!" Ogiwara commanded.

"But it's cold-," Mibuchi started but got cut off by a raging brunette.

"You should listen to me while I am telling you this nicely! I could have easily kicked your butt out of my bed but since I'm not as heartless and cruel and horrible as a certain basketball captain I don't even want to utter the name of, I wanted to let you rest well and would have sneaked my way out if you did not make things hard for me!" Ogiwara went on a little rant.

"Heck! You should worship my holy soul for being so kind and saintly!" he continued to whine.

Mibuchi could not hold in his amusement as he chuckled at the words of the boy in front of him. Ogiwara was so _adorable_ in that agitated state. He felt like jumping out of bed to hug the little boy like a kid.

"Alright, alright. I was only joking." Mibuchi lifted his arms in defeat while chuckling.

"What are you doing in my bed in first place? Oh!" Ogiwara exclaimed, eyebrows raised in realization."You sneaky serpent!" he narrowed his eyes to look at the older teen skeptically.

"You mistook me for a girl, didn't you?! Damn, how am I going to survive in a world full of so many hungry wolves? I fear for the safety of my innocence. You even groped my soft, slender waist! Ah Kami-sama, what did I do wrong in my previous birth to end up in such situations? First the devil incarnation of a rich snobby heir. Then a brainless, muscle maniac. Now you!" Ogiwara continued to rant painfully.

"Wait! No! I did not mistake you for a girl. I…" Mibuchi cut in the monologue of the melodramatic boy in front of him as he tried to remember how he got into his bed.

"Ah yes! I remember now. The restroom! I got on the wrong bed at night after coming from the restroom. It was so dark, that must be why! I had no bad intentions, really." This managed to calm down the brunette in front of him.

"You were not trying to taint my pure soul?" Ogiwara asked suspiciously.

"Of course not! You're like my little brother, Shige-chan~ I would never do that," Mibuchi quickly coaxed while moving to his bed. Ogiwara calmed down at those words.

"But you play with Akashi," Ogiwara stated, as if it was some logical argument.

"And?" Mibuchi asked, not really getting the point of Ogiwara.

"You must be tainting people's life like he does," Ogiwara reasoned.

"What? No! Sei-chan can be a tyrant at times. But I don't think he will go to such extents. I'm not like him, anyway. I'm just like you, a peace lover! Not a fighter!" Mibuchi was shocked at the statement of the brunette. _What did his captain do for Ogiwara to think like that?_ Ogiwara scoffed.

"Oh… Okay then. Good night," the brunette said while switching off the lights. He was still tired and very sleepy, and a nap sounded really good for now, especially since it was still dark outside. He refused to think of all the thing that escaped his mouth in panic.

"Sleep well," Mibuchi wished. _Ogiwara sure was a interesting boy._

The kitchen that Ogiwara was given to work his meals in was pretty average. As soon as the breakfast buffet was over, the brunette jumped into action so that he would not have to rush with his food in the end. He had eight people's mouth to feed, after all. Cooking good food for so much people might be time-consuming for him, given his meticulous habits and strife for the perfect taste. There was no compromising with the culinary arts he learned and acquired. His food was the best, _simple_.

Ogiwara felt a feral grin creep on his face as he thought about what he had reserved for the team, especially for an over-sized gorilla in it. He was given the permission to use the kitchen's groceries and utensils for his task as long as he made an account of the raw materials he used, as stated by the snob heir. Ogiwara thus had a wide selection of food to pick from, and the array of delicious, fresh meat presented in front of him brought out the glint of mischief and wickedness in his pretty brown eyes.

It was nine, meaning that he had around three hours to complete his work. He cautiously chose the best meat around and began working his way into the preparations, earning a few curious glares from the surrounding. It was indeed an unusual sight to see a high school boy preparing so much food alone. Midway in his preparations, he was approached by a middle-aged lady.

"What are you preparing, little boy?" the woman asked leisurely, with a tint of interest in her voice.

"Oh! Hello," he greeted the woman politely. "I'm Ogiwara. I came here with my…team to prepare their lunch for their training camp." Ogiwara felt the need to do some self introduction. He might or might not be able to scoop some help from this.

"Today is the first day they are going to taste my cooking, so I decided to prepare a little assortment of side dishes, focusing on the different meat balls. I'm currently making some takoyaki as a snack," the brunette rambled. He always liked to have little talks while working in the kitchen.

"Oh! Your friends are so lucky to have you around. What a reliable boy, you are!" the lady beamed with joy. "You're here with the Akashi heir, right?" the lady mused.

"How do you know that?" Ogiwara asked, genuinely surprised. He stopped working for a few moments to see the lady properly. She was a bit chubby, with thick glasses framing her eyes and long black-turning-grey hair braided sideways. She looked around her mid-fifties upon a closer look.

"I just happened to be the one who got the request from him," the lady quickly replied to avoid any misunderstanding.

"So… If I'm getting it right, you own the place?" Ogiwara carefully articulated.

"Oh no no! I'm just the wife of the owner," the lady denied with a blush while vigorously shaking her hand in denial.

"Nice to meet you, Mrs landlady!" the brunette greeted properly.

"Oh please, call me Aizawa-san," the lady greeted back with a smile.

"Aizawa-san it is then, lovely name for a lovely lady," Ogiwara stepped up his little game. He might be able to get the landlady get him some help.

"Quite a charmer, I see. Will you be able to prepare all that food for your team?" the lady asked concernedly.

"I have to do it, for the welfare of my team!" ogiwara exclaimed, with a little frown to show his uncertainty but a blazing determination shining in his eyes. He did not like how the phrase sounded at all, but some help would come in handy now.

"Let me give you a helping hand then," the lady started to roll up her sleeves and drew her long braid into a bun.

"Oh no! Please don't. Please don't use your delicate hands for such thing!" Ogiwara felt guilty. Why were things never turning like he wanted them to? He thought that the landlady would command someone to help him, not her actual self! He did not want to make an old lady work, after all.

"Don't underestimate the strength of those hands. I used to be a great chef in my youthful times, and I really enjoy cooking. Let me help you, Ogiwara-kun," Fukui-san reassured the panicking brunette in front of her.

"How can I deny such a tempting invitation now?" Ogiwara decided to give in and joined hands with the landlady.

 _Two was indeed better than one._

Ogiwara finished his task a little bit earlier than he predicted. He got the time to go for a change of clothes before heading to the nearby gym where the team were currently practicing. He had a little wicked scheme going on in his mind, and was anticipating the moment he would finally see it into action. Ogiwara was skipping on his way like the little cunning fox he was. After all, he did promise to make turn that muscle idiot into a complete mental meltdown.

When he entered the gym, they were already on a break, waiting for the food. Ogiwara lost no time. He reeled towards the group near the benches with the big bag containing a bento for each of them. He had personally taken his time to arrange the food in an orderly and delicious manner to increase the aesthetics of his godly creations. After all, he had to prove to some of them that he was not as useless as he seemed to be. His food was to die for, duh. And he had already set someone as his next victim.

"I got your food," Ogiwara said while approaching the team.

He carefully distributed the boxes to the team members personally, to make sure that everyone got the box that he intended to give them. Slowly, he made his way the furthest possible from the Akashi heir and ended up sitting down next to the blond guy. As the boxes were opened, a delicious scent of meat and sauce filled in the air. Someone's stomach(not his own since he had been tasting the food a lot) growled loudly at the lovely sight in the bento box. Even before they took in a bite, Ogiwara knew that his food would be a feat achieved. He then let his eyes travel to the one who had been a big bother to him lately.

"What is this?" Nebuya seethed at the sight on his bento. Everyone's else was filled with meatballs and eggrolls and other delicious stuffs. However, were these _nuts_ in his bento box?

"No meat for your lunch. I warned you in the van when you chose to ignore my words," Ogiwara stated.

"I made you some curry with cashew nuts in it. It's an Indian recipe we tried at school, I guarantee that you will love it," Ogiwara started with his sarcastic smile.

"And you got a large serving of almond-flavored rice too. You need to eat more nuts to grow smarter. Your muscles seem to be the only thing thoroughly developed in you. You still lack a lot in the brain department," Ogiwara said in a disapproving tone.

"You are the dumb one here. This will never be enough for me," Nebuya spat.

"Oh no, it will. I gave you the largest serving of rice, and it's flavored too! And those side veggies will also help fill your stomach. There's some fried tempura too," Ogiwara argued back to shut the muscle monkey up.

Before Nebuya could retort back, their conversation was interrupted, quite satisfyingly according to Ogiwara, by the hum of approval of Takuo-san as he took a first bite in his chicken meat ball. The assistant coach was in la-la land, eyes hazy with joy and bliss from the food that he was savoring. Upon seeing how the teacher intensely appreciated the meatballs, the others quickly joined in the hum after having their own taste of these little masterpieces of food.

"This is the best thing ever," the teacher approved. He was digging in his food like his life depended on it.

"So.. just… so good," Mibuchi muttered, eyes glistening with tears of joy while he ate a pork meatball. This food was so good that people were getting emotional over it. "I don't want this to end, ever." The black haired boy added as he slowly appreciated his bento.

"Are you single, Ogiwara-san? If yes, can you please marry me?" Hayama teased the brunette, though the moment he tasted the food, he decided that let alone marry, he could easily trade his soul for some good homely food like that.

"No! Shige-chan should marry me! I'm more handsome than you," Mibuchi quickly interrupted the silly confession of the blond king.

 _Were they fighting for him?_ Food can do amazing things to people, Ogiwara confirmed.

"Eat silently," the head coach scolded the bickering players from the benches.

Things went silent for a while. Nebuya reluctantly brought his chopsticks to his mouth and was deeply impressed by the taste that settled on his taste buds. The little shrimp sure could work wonders in the kitchen. The curry was slightly spicy, just like he liked it. The buff guy had to struggle not to smile at the good food to show his appreciation. After all, he was still upset for not getting some meatballs like everyone else. The delicious scent of the meatballs were so fresh and thick in the air that he could almost taste it and Nebuya was nearly convinced that he was missing a lot in life. Little did he know about the final blow that the brunette was about to land on him.

Ogiwara secretly smirked at the sight in front of him. The muscle idiot was silently ogling the blessed meatballs that the others were appreciating so much. He quickly swiped clean his small bento box and was the first one to finish his food. He met with a questioning glare from his brother-in-law, but only smiled back mischievously . He still had more to serve. Then moment the question was shot to him, Ogiwara internally jumped with joy.

"Is that all you are going to eat?" the blond next to him enquired.

"No. I got myself some more meatballs and takoyaki," Ogiwara said teasingly as he fished out two small bento boxes packed with an assortment of mouth-watering meatballs.

"Please, feel free to take some too. It's a bit too much for me," he quickly added as he placed the open boxes in front of everyone. "Not you though," he deadpanned while pointing at Eikichi.

The scent of more amazing food quickly filled the air again. Takuo-san lost no time in picking two takoyaki. Ogiwara watched with pure delight as the over-sized gorilla watched the boxes painfully. His ache was visible, and the brunette was feasting over the pain-wrecked sight of the buff boy. This was going to get more interesting, he thought as he saw some sweat beads forming on the forehand of the tanned male.

Ogiwara was satisfied. His hard work was finally paying off. The moment the muscle boy's tense glare fell on him, he nonchalantly picked up a chicken meatball from the box, brought it near his mouth and took in the great scent of the food with a tempting, teasing smile. He made a show of his feast, purposefully slowing down and wiggling his eyebrows at the buff boy while taking his first bite into the amazing food. He relished under the irritated and aching glare that Eikichi was throwing at him. Hayama chuckled slowly as he witnessed Ogiwara teasing his team mate with the piece of food. From the looks on Eikichi's face, he was close to breaking down. Only a couple of meatballs and takoyaki were left now; Eikichi had to act fast if he wanted to have a taste of heaven in those bento boxes.

If Nebuya thought that he was missing a lot in his life previously, then now, he was certain that he was missing _far too much_. His chest pained every time someone picked one of the delicious round-shaped food from the box placed in front of the brunette. His fingers started to twinge and his hands were already shaking from the tremendous amount of energy he was spending to resist the urge to just jump forward and gulp down all the meat and takoyaki. The little shrimp sure knew how to get his way around. The little show that the brunette was putting up in front of him was the last straw that breaks the camel's back.

"I take back what I said about you," Eikichi mumbled quietly while looking at Ogiwara.

"I'm sorry, I did not hear you," Ogiwara feigned ignorance while struggling the urge to jump around and do the harlem shake at his victorious feat.

"I'm telling you that I was wrong about your cooking! It's good," Eikichi reluctantly admitted.

"Only good?" Ogiwara had set the bait for more. He was set to fish out more glittery compliments.

"It's delicious, I admit. Can I have some meatballs?" the tanned teen asked tentatively. There weren't much left.

"I already told you. No meat for your foul mouth and petty thoughts during lunch," Ogiwara reiterated.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay?! You are a tough guy, even though you don't have muscles. I'm having the hardest time resisting the urge to steal food from others during lunch, all thanks to you. You are one little cunning boy who can make delicious food that I don't want to miss. So please, for the love of god and your godly kitchen creations, let me have one," Nebuya begged earnestly, strong voice cracking in the end.

Ogiwara grinned like the sun. He finally did it; he got the muscle man begging in front of him. His food shall never cease to amaze humankind. Every other members except for the captain of the team stopped momentarily to witness the descent of their oversized team mate in front of a petite brunette. Akashi Seijuro was in his own world, unbothered yet listening to his surroundings. Takuo-san looked like a proud father assisting the win of his child.

"Hmmmm…" Ogiwara pretended to think seriously. "Okay. You may taste one," he agreed to the relief of Eikichi.

Eikichi lost no time. He quickly strived for the last beef meatball in the box and stuffed it in his mouth. The explosion of flavors in his mouth after his first munch got him frozen on the bench. His eyes went wide in complete awe as he tried to properly register the taste of pure bliss in his mouth. This food was homely and yet so mouth-wateringly delicious. He could almost taste it from the nice smell before but now that he was actually taking a bite in the meatball, his mind was blown. Ogiwara Shigehiro was anything but weak, he concluded. The brunette was a god in the kitchen.

Ogiwara watched keenly as the big teen took a bite in the meatball. The said guy froze instantly and widened his eyes at the surprising taste, boasting the ego of the little chef to new levels. From the sight of the slight blush that crept onto his tanned cheeks and his glistening, hazy eyes, Ogiwara concluded one thing.

Eikichi Nebuya was undoubtedly having a mental meltdown after tasting his food. After all, his culinary creations were magical.

 **Additional Notes: I hope you like the story so far! No pairings have been decided yet, and it will remain like this for some more time according to the plot I've set out... if you have any suggestions, PM me or drop it in the review box! Rate and reviews will be much appreciated :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: Hello hello hello! :D First update of the week yayy! Hopefully I will be able to update another chapter till Sunday, no promises though. So.. Akashi might be slightly out of character in this one... you've been warned! Get ready for some Akashi-Ogiwara showtime! Enjoy the reading~**

Akashi was partially satisfied with the food that Ogiwara prepared. Sure, the meatballs were beyond fabulous and the rice was cooked to perfection, not that he would ever admit that on the little chef's face, but there was a distinct lack of a highly essential side dish in the meal. Akashi was quick to catch the sneaky glances that the little brunette were throwing to him in order to see any subtle changes in his behaviour following this apparent lack. This was definitely intentional, and the redhead was not happy at all, even though the delicious food that Ogiwara prepared kind of made it hard for him to stay genuinely unhappy. He was still irritated behind his usual poker face. _There were absolutely no traces of tofu._

Everyone in the damned school knew about his love for tofu, especially the tofu soup. This particular dish had a similar effect to that of a digesting pill to be taken along with every meal for him. He lived in a household where tofu was consumed as a norm and delicacy, its soft texture melting at a slight graze with the teeth. Consumption of tofu, be it fried or boiled, was one of the unspoken rules in the Akashi household. Being born and raised in such an environment made the little heir develop a fond affinity for that particular food, and with the big fan-club that he had at school, he was certain that the little weakling must have caught word of his adoration for tofu to behave like that. Akashi was not going to sit back and miss his favorite tofu for lunch. He would let this pass only this time.

"Shigehiro, add tofu as a side dish next time," Akashi ordered while finishing his meal.

"No," the brunette refused instantly. _Let the battle of the tofu begin_ , Ogiwara thought in anticipation.

Everyone around turned their face abruptly after hearing the instant refusal of the little brunette to comply to the captain's order. Akashi's eyes widened slightly at the ease with which the little weakling in front of him swiped away his words. He thought that he might have misheard it, but the shocked look that everyone was throwing at Ogiwara only confirmed the fact that his ears did not wrong him. Takuo-san paled instantly. Nebuya froze midway in his dig for meat, not even reacting when the meatball between his chopsticks slipped and fell on his lap. Mibuchi did a double turn to stare at his current room mate in utmost horror, fearing for his life, and Hayama, for once, did not break out laughing.

"What?" Akashi asked calmly, daring Ogiwara to repeat his disobedience.

"I don't know how to prepare any tofu meal, so it's a no from me," Ogiwara replied nonchalantly.

Now, this little weakling got to be kidding him. Akashi's eye momentarily glowed with irritation as Ogiwara simply brushed his _command_ aside. No one dared to ignore his words so blatantly. Did the brunette already forget how easily he managed to drag him into the club against his will?

"You're lying," Akashi spat coldly.

"I am not," the brunette spat back. "I really don't know any tofu meal. I missed all the recipes at school," Ogiwara reasoned.

Never in his entire life did the little brunette think that he would feel so happy for missing some of his cooking club activities. Ogiwara actually went out of his way and skipped all the recipes involving tofu as main dish in the club ever since he learned about the red tyrant's high affinity to it. It was initially really hard for him to resist the temptation to run to the kitchen and whip out those tofu dishes like the awesome chef he was, but his efforts were now bearing big, fat fruits of reward. Even if he did learn those recipes, he would not feel so bad to unlearn them all in order to feel such a satisfaction.

"You are going to learn and get me some tofu next time," Akashi ordered smoothly.

"Yeah, right. I'll talk to the trees and get the recipes and instructions from them," Ogiwara replied sarcastically.

"I need Maeno-sensei and only Maeno-sensei's guidance to be able to learn something properly in the kitchen," the brunette deadpanned.

Akashi tried his best not to roll his eyes at the stupid statement of Ogiwara. This kid was definitely making a big deal out of this little, essential requirement of his. There was nothing hard in learning how to prepare some quick tofu side dishes. Even he, the majestic heir of the Akashi Company, knew how to make a decent tofu soup. It should not be a such great deal for the little self-acclaimed prodigy chef in front of him.

"You clearly overestimate your potentials as a chef then," Akashi mused mockingly. He knew how to target the ego of man to get his work done.

"You should not have chosen me to bring along for your meal service if you think so," the brunette retorted back.

"Talking about potentials, I am quite confident in my cooking skills. I just choose to work things at my own pace, without really bothering myself with requests from others," Ogiwara argued back, losing his cool at the smirking redhead.

"You're mistaken about two things. This is not a request. It's an order. And I'm not just some 'other' person. I'm an Akashi," Akashi enumerated menacingly.

"An order which I am not going to comply to from a snobby heir I could not care less about," the brunette scoffed in irritation.

"You never learn from your mistakes? When you get an order from an Akashi, you better follow it without argument. You should know better than to disobey me," Akashi spat.

"I'm not your dog. Just because you managed to drag me involuntarily to this club does not simply mean that I have to go along with each and every of your little tantrums. You should be grateful to the heaven and gods that I'm here right now," Ogiwara snapped back instantly, suddenly feeling bold and defiant.

"Watch your tone while speaking to me," the red heir warned.

"Three words: Don't. Want. To," the brunette emphasized on each word carefully.

"Is this how you usually treat the future of your country?" Akashi asked, trying to remind the weakling of his position in life.

"No. But this is how I treat someone who forced me into something I did not want to do in the first place," Ogiwara replied earnestly.

"You don't want to cook? Great, you should join us in practice then," Akashi smirked at the irritation that flashed on the brunette's face following his assumption. He finally hit a raw nerve.

"Oh, stop it, will you? We both know that this is not about cooking. This is about the fucking club transfer," Ogiwara snapped in rage.

"That you eventually approved of," Akashi continued smoothly, perfect depiction of calmness and hostility.

"Only on certain conditions, which clearly states that I shall not touch thy ball and play thy dirty games," the brunette reminded.

"I see no such written statement," Akashi smirked in reply.

"Are you a person who does not stick to his words? If so, then I am quite worried about the future of this country," Ogiwara mused with fake worry, swiping that smug look from the heir's face almost instantly.

"Why are we even talking about all this? I need tofu for breakfast, dinner as well as lunch, and you're going to serve it to me. Period," the heir said seriously.

"No tofu during lunch. Menstrual cycle," Ogiwara replied in the same severe tone as the Akashi facing him.

Everyone except for the captain almost dropped dead in mute laughter as the little brunette muttered his last _ridiculous_ words with a serious face that could set examples.

"Break's over. Everyone get on the court," the assistant coach quickly interrupted the two teens while trying his best not to laugh out loud at the statement of his adorable brother-in-law.

"We'll proceed with a practice game, 2-on-3," the head coach elaborated.

Ogiwara wanted to jump and punch the air. He had the last word, meaning that he was not giving in to no snobby rich brat. He smiled at Takuo-san as the older male turn around in complete secrecy behind the Gorgon's back to wink at him. It was a good thing that the head coach and his brother-in-law took his side. They really had the perfect timing to resume the team's training.

"Did you seriously get transferred to the club unwillingly?" Hayama cautiously asked as he walked next to Ogiwara.

"Do I even look like I want to be here right now?" Ogiwara raised his brows exasperatedly while replying the blond guy with a simple rhetoric question. The blond guy simply nodded in understanding before jogging away. Ogiwara's facial expression and body language gave away the little detail he wanted to know.

Akashi Seijuro was true about one particular thing in their last argument: Ogiwara really did not know how to learn from his mistakes. He thought that he had mentally braced himself properly for the wicked revenge schemes of the heir that would follow his initial win in their little dispute but found himself paying a dear price for letting his mouth loose in front of the snob. Even though he remained cautious during the couple of days following his refusal to comply to Akashi, the red devil had finally managed to catch up with him using his wicked tricks. The evilness of the heir would never fail to amaze him, Ogiwara concluded. However, he was not someone to easily wave a white flag; he already did it once for the club transfer. He had absolutely no intentions of giving in and pleasing the captain's appetite. The battle of the tofu would continue.

From the moment the basketball emperor announced that they would be training outdoors today, Ogiwara knew that something was fishy. After all, the location where lunch would be provided was really far on top of a rocky hill nearby. Even though Akashi somehow managed to convince the elders that he had someone on standby to take the food to them, Ogiwara was still having this oddly bad feeling concerning his task for the day. His suspicions soon turned to be a real nightmare when he searched for the so-called ride to deliver their lunch and found no one. He now had only one hour to rush to the peak of a rocky hill, on foot since there was no bike or bicycle available for him, in order to serve lunch.

Ogiwara had no good training or hiking shoes with him and the dry, dusty path only made his way slippery and dangerous. He held on his bag of food like his life depended on it as he proceeded towards the top of the hill. The Akashi heir must have intentionally chosen this particular day for their training outside, Ogiwara pondered with great disgust as he felt his skin heat quickly because of the scorching sun. He was already drenched in sweat only after a couple of minutes of walking. His thirst was growing, and he was forever thankful for having this amazing idea of bringing some cold coconut water with him. To hell with this team he was supposed to treat now, Ogiwara hungrily gulped down the water as he made his way upwards cautiously.

However, being in this awesomely unfit state he was, Ogiwara was quick to register the fatigue that was starting to cloud his mind and vision. He was not even halfway through his tracks, and thirty minute was already over. Being the meticulous boy he was, Ogiwara was determined to reach the group in time. He was not going to give them any room for complaints, even if it only meant that he had to increase his pace in the ascent. He slipped once. Twice. Thrice. He also scratched his knees while falling down, but he made sure that the food was held securely like some goddamned trophy he was carrying back to his empire. His food was indeed no less that a trophy, after all.

He increased his pace, bumped into woods and tripped over a couple of branches lying around and yet found himself running late as the time ticked noon. Though the field on which the whole team was training was now visible to him, he still had a remarkable distance to walk. His already drenched shirt was now sticking to his body. His feet started to shake somewhere along the way and his vision got kind of blurry from the brightness of the sun in this clear patch of lane. He was already on the top of the hill, yet the little distance that remained seemed to be a similar to a walk through hell. Ogiwara was feeling so tired that he would not be surprised if some little satan creature like Akashi Seijuro just popped up in front of him to announce that he was indeed walking through the fires of hell.

By the time that the little brunette finally reached to the practising members, he was struggling with each and every step that he took and found himself panting hard for breath. He was late and had no idea by how much time. Upon seeing him, his brother-in-law rushed to his side, concern clearly visible on his face. He quickly dumped the bag of food in his hands before collapsing on his knees in order to catch his breath. No, he was not losing consciousness or anything; he was simply exhausted to a point where he could not understand what was happening around him. However, what he could clearly register was this little spout of red hair near him. Ogiwara felt a fuse blow in him as he lifted his almost dead weight off the ground and clumsily made his way to the redhead.

"You. . .," the brunette growled breathlessly. "You filthy, little liar!" he tried to scream in heavy accusation and irritation, but his throat was too dry to allow him raise his voice properly for a decent scream. The message was clearly conveyed though.

"Refrain yourself from throwing such baseless accusations on me," Akashi responded to the sweating teen in front him, with a slightly smug smile that could easily pass as a polite one.

"Baseless accusations? My ass!" the brunette spat as he stood in front of the heir. He found a little burst of energy from the rage that was consuming him inside.

"This is all your plan, you wicked witch of Kyoto," Ogiwara snapped. "There was no ride arranged!"

"You seem to sport a misunderstanding. I had personally made the arrangements for a ride. It seems like you are the one who did not get hold of it at the inn," the almighty Akashi reasoned, proud to be able to get the little weakling all worked up and exhausted.

"Oh no. I solemnly swear on my ass's virginity that there was no. such. thing!" Ogiwara exclaimed shamelessly, earning a few surprised looks from the other team members.

The red heir looked slightly surprised at his choice of words, but the brunette could not care less. He was too tired to think of the proper way to express himself. He had a message to drill in the Akashi's head, and he sure was going to do it before throwing his weight around.

"It's too late to even argue about that now. It's all good, as long as we got served our lunch meal," Akashi stated, in order to slam his win. The brunette was forced to climb up to him, after all.

"Wait, I can't see it!" Ogiwara pretended to be searching for something around the heir. "Where is it?!" Ogiwara asked with fake concern.

"What are you talking about, Shigehiro?" Akashi spat.

"Good manners! You definitely lack some of those. No thank you or sorry for the trouble? And on top of it, you call me by my first name? Last time I checked, I did not give you the privilege of doing so. You sure seem to come from a spoiled environment where everything is served to you on a glittery golden plate but hello? I am not your servant. I deserve a thanks, at the very least," Ogiwara snapped.

"You only did your assigned duty to bring us our lunch, and dare I add that you are not even doing it properly following your refusal to comply to my demand," Akashi reminded the brunette coolly.

"Do not play that duty card with me. I know everything! You did this to get back at me for not feeding you tofu. But guess what? You're still not getting those damn tofus! You don't deserve those tofus!" Ogiwara started throwing a fuss, pointing his little shaky finger towards the heir accusingly.

The fatigue and anger took a toll on Ogiwara's mind as his discerning capacities went for a quick sleep. Akashi was going to get served with some more realness from him, with no filter. Before the red heir got to respond, he quickly continued.

"Someone needs to put a diaper on you. I thought I was the child here, making such a fancy thing out of my food and rubbing it one the muscle freak's face to get some well-deserved compliments, but no!" Ogiwara confessed.

"Dear God, was I wrong. Your little stunt today proved the child in me to be even more mature than your immature, troublesome, bratty self! Who the fuck makes someone climb some goddamn hill in such a hot weather just because he did not get his tofu? Your thing with tofu is even worse than Tetsuya's obsession with vanilla milkshake!"

"You are undeniably not in your right mind to be able to utter the first name of the Phantom Sixth player so easily after all that happened," Akashi spat coldly to stop the chain of insults that was being thrown on him. He was successful, kind of.

The moment that name escaped his lips, Ogiwara bit his tongue and covered his mouth, eye widening in surprise and appall. The fatigue that he was initially feeling hit him up with full force, making him stumble a couple of step backwards. He had absolutely no intention of going on a trip to memory lane right now. He quickly let his eyes travelled around and spotted his brother-in-law's panicking face in his peripheral vision. He made one last statement before heading away.

"The battle of the tofu shall continue!" Ogiwara declared before wiggling his way back to the assistant coach.

"I'm dead," the brunette whined as he approached his brother-in-law.

The big bowl of spaghetti had been taken away from the elder male since long. The team had formed a little circle on the groud, slightly away from the dispute that was occurring and was already digging and humming their way into the delicious spaghetti, pretending to be in complete oblivion of the insult bullets that their captain was getting hit with. This coup of Akashi was really a low blow, and no one wanted to interfere in this argument. Even the head coach and his assistant slightly cowered away from the shouting and accusations being thrown around. The mention of the Phantom Sixth man of Teiko did catch the attention of some of them though. Reo and Kotarou exchanged a glance with each other as they noticed how the brunette silenced himself in shock at this particular mention.

"Carry me, I can't feel my body!" Ogiwara implored as he threw his weight on Takuo.

The elder male tried to catch the shaky teen but was a couple of seconds too late in doing so. The said teen slid halfway to his feet while he gripped on his frail arms to prevent him from landing his face on the ground. Ogiwara's upper body was practically hanging from the grip that his brother-in-law had on his arms.

"I'm so dead! Waaater~" Ogiwara switched to full on melodramatic mode as Takuo dragged him in the shades of a big tree near the group.

"Calm down, relax a bit. You will feel better later," the teacher tried to reassure the whining kid while handing him a bottle of water. The brunette quickly gulped down half of its content.

"Go eat with the rest. I already had my lunch before setting out," Ogiwara lied smoothly as soon as he settled himself. He was in no mood to eat after that atrocious walk and talk he went through.

"Are you sure?" the older male asked concernedly.

"Yeah, just let me lie down for a while to refill some energy," Ogiwara breathed while closing his eyes. He was surely up for a snooze.

Ogiwara was dragged out of his little resting session when he felt someone shake him slightly. Hayama was crouched in front of him, trying to wake him up. It was clearly afternoon, and practice was over for the day. Ogiwara quickly shook his impending fatigue away and tried to get up. As he thought, he could only _try_ to get up because as soon as he managed to stand up, his feet muscles tensed up and ached, causing him to fall down almost instantly. His feet were like jelly.

"I still can't walk!" he shouted to Takuo, with a cute little pout and a frown to show his displeasure with the whole situation.

"Take me into your lovin' arms!~" He whined in a playful manner, while lifting his hands up in the direction of the older male, asking to be picked up.

"Kiss me under the light of a thooousand stars~" the teacher picked up the Ed Sheeran- Thinking out loud song reference instantly and sang the next line. Both Takuo and Ogiwara grinned toothily at their amazing feat together. They both thought that they should totally enter a singing competition together. They were so nailing this right now.

"Ah! Shige-chan is so adorable! Let me pick you," Reo cooed to the sitting brunette like the mother hen he was. Ogiwara became silent, but allowed the taller teen to pick him up.

"You are so light! Just like a baby," Reo exclaimed with wide eys as soon as he lifted the teen off the ground while proceeding to get him on his back properly.

"Tell me that I am like a baby again, Mibuchi-san, and I swear to god I'll tell you some _sweet_ words that babies don't usually say to remind you otherwise," Ogiwara warned.

"Thank you for the lift, though," he added quietly. Unlike some rich brat around, he knew how to be thankful. Mibuchi chuckled at the words of the brunette.

"You're seriously so light though," he added a bit more seriously.

"Hey guys!" Mibuchi approached the rest of the team. "You won't believe how light he is! Anyone here could easily carry him around, even you Sei-chan!" Mibuchi sing-sang.

"Are you underestimating me, Reo?" the captain asked menacingly.

"No! Absolutely not, Sei-chan. I mean, he's really so light it's unbelievable," the black-haired boy sputtered in an attempt to avoid any sort of punishment.

"Mibuchi-san, please hand me over to Takuo-san if you're going to stay so close to your beloved captain. I don't want such a tasteless and disgraceful human being in my proximity," Ogiwara stated in disdain.

Mibuchi rushed slightly away from Akashi, but not in the direction of the assistant head-coach. He slipped Ogiwara into his arms as if he was carrying a little baby and approached his bunch of friends, the other uncrowned kings. Ogiwara could only struggle a little bit in reluctance at being carried like a princess.

"Catch him!" he said while literally slinging the brunette to Eikichi. Ogiwara yelped and blushed madly as he found himself floating in air for a couple of seconds before landing, princess-style, in the big ass arms of the muscle man.

"My little nephew is probably heavier than you," the tanned male noticed, laughing at the light weight in his arms. Maybe he could use the smaller boy for some muscle training. He in turn slung a tense Ogiwara to the blond in front of him. Hayama did not even stumble when he caught the flying teen.

"Oh! So light, I can carry you for the rest of the way, Ogiwara-kun. You should eat more," the blond guy proposed, to the disappointment of Mibuchi.

"No! I'm going to carry him," the taller male quickly disapproved of the suggestion of his team mate.

"I'm sure he is more at ease in my arms, right Ogiwara-kun?" Hayama prompted the blushing teen he was holding carefully.

"No! He likes my hold best. He even snuggled into me in his sleep," Mibuchi declared confidently.

"What?" the rest of the team asked incredulously.

"Stop it, y'all!" Ogiwara yelled in complete shame and embarrassment. He did not think that Mibuchi would remember such a thing and wanted to slap the older teen for bringing that up now.

"If you want to carry me so much, then take turns or something. No need to fight for such a petty reason," Ogiwara reasoned, irritation slightly coating his tone. "And yes, _please_ , carry me on your back, not in your arms like that. I'm not a damsel in distress," Ogiwara implored.

"Thank you," he said as soon as they complied to his words.

The rest of the way down the hill was a bit more calm, but the uncrowned kings kept fighting occasionally to carry him. Ogiwara felt slightly peaceful on their back and silently appreciated the enthusiasm they had for carrying him, not like he was going to admit it openly. He had many things to worry about, like for instance the painful condition of his feet, or the devil incarnation in the form of Akashi Seijuro. What also caught his attention, as well as concern lately, was the grey-haired boy with a remarkable lack of presence. Ogiwara felt an bad, itching feeling creeping in him whenever their eyes met.

The stance of Mayuzumi Chihiro was all too familiar to Ogiwara.

 **A/N: I hope you liked the reading! I want to say a special thank you for Surely Blue again for her detailed review. It gets me right back on my tracks :D This summer camp trip is getting slightly longer than I've thought it would be in writing, but rest assured, we're still getting closer to the finals! Whoop whoop :D Thank you for reading the story so far. Rates and reviews will be much appreciated! ^^**


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: Hello hello hello! Here comes the update of the week. The only thing I have to say is, damn, writing Mayuzumi is even harder than writing Akashi! Anyway, enjoy the reading~**

When Ogiwara woke up the next day, he seriously thought of killing Akashi Seijuro. He could feel his feet, hips and back on fire even though he had not gotten up from the bed yet. The pain that he was feeling yesterday seemed like a cheap, low-rated trailer of the suffering he was going through this morning. He was very worried about how he was going to move around the whole day with a body in this condition. If the red heir dared to tell him that they were going on the hills again today, he might as well forget about the whole lunch meal along with his goddamn tofus.

Ogiwara patiently waited for the right moment to try to get out of bed. Mibuchi was still around, and he did not want to embarrass himself more in front of the said guy. He had had a big overdose of embarrassment on the hill top in front of the team yesterday, and no thank you, he did not want to embarrass himself more. As soon as the black-haired boy turned around and gave him his back, Ogiwara silently pushed away his covers and proceeded to sit on the edge of the bed. His hips sent spikes of pain in protest, but the brunette still managed to sit properly. The next step would be a decisive moment. Ogiwara made sure that Mibuchi was still facing away from him as he attempted to stand up. If in case he failed, he did not want anyone to laugh at his pathetic attempts, and thus wanted to make sure that no one was following his actions.

Ogiwara was able to stand up, and felt like rewarding himself some chocolates for being able to do so. His whole body was still screaming in complaint and he also felt himself aching to be in bed again, but he had tasks to complete and a snobby brat to piss off. However, all the idea of a good day awaiting for him crumbled to bits and pieces when he took a step forward. His whole body shook as if an earthquake occurred, leaving him undecided about the next steps to do. He instantly regretted his decision of proceeding forward when he felt his feet muscles tense up in an oddly familiar way while taking the next step. Ogiwara fell down with a loud thump, causing his roommate to whip his head around alarmingly at the sudden sound.

"Still can't walk?" Mibuchi asked kindly. Ogiwara wanted to jump on the taller teen and hug him for not laughing at his misery.

"Yeah," he confessed, looking at the male sheepishly from the ground.

"Let me help you up," Mibuchi approached the brunette and helped him lift on his feet. "It's still early, you will have enough time to prepare yourself for the breakfast, even at a slower pace," he reassured the brunette.

Ogiwara wanted to cry. Why was a Rakuzan player, on top of that, one of the associates to that horrible captain, being so kind to him? He did not want to be coaxed by no team member, but this stupidly gentle roommate of his was slowly bringing his walls down. How can he be hostile to someone who was treating him like family? The brunette felt conflicted as he got dragged carefully to the common bathroom. He silently prayed for the absence of a certain snob in that room and sighed in relief when he saw no red hair. There was a couple of team members there, already dressed up for the day and ready to move out. However, Mibuchi, who was also ready to go for breakfast, decided to stick by his side and wait for him in case he slipped in the showers or something. From the moment Ogiwara saw this, he knew that it would be impossible for him to hate the smiling giant. Mibuchi reminded him too much of his brother-in-law.

Ogiwara was being pampered like a kid, and he knew it. Ever since his legs gave up, he had been constantly swooned with the attention of others. Maybe some of the team members felt bad for the ordeal he had to go through because of their captain and was thus repenting in their own little ways by swarming him and praising his food to no end. Ogiwara did not really mind it. In fact, being the centre of attention of his doting siblings and parents, Ogiwara could safely say that he felt just at home.

He liked the feeling of being looked after. He was treated with his favorite treats from his brother-in-law and he was not required to walk to the team to give them lunch for the next couple of days. In fact, he was being constantly scooped up in the arms of the team members whenever he was faced with a set of stairs or a rocky path. Being the hopeless opportunist he was, he made sure to exploit and take full advantage of the muscles that the members had. He did not want to risk his life on the stairs, and was more than glad to have someone carry him up and down every time he was in front of one. After all, those players could use their muscles out of basketball context too, right? He felt blessed for the assistance he was given in the kitchen by the landlady. Aizawa-chan was the loveliest lady ever to him. That amazing lady even supported his cause of not feeding tofu to the tyrant, for god's sake! What's not to love in that?

If Akashi was usually given the royalty treatment, then Ogiwara felt like nobility with the attention he was getting, and _oh yes_ , he did make sure to show that off in front of the snob heir. After all, this was all the aftermath of his doings. If the heir did not do wrong to him, he would not be receiving so much care. Ogiwara made sure to display the affection he was getting in front of the basketball emperor. He did not hesitate to order some food around from a team member and nearly squirmed on delight when he got served instantly in front of the brat. This was definitely a backfire in the red devil's plan that the brunette appreciated. He could bet that the emperor did not think that he would get close enough to the other team members so quickly to receive so much attention. The healing period did bring Ogiwara slightly closer to team, except for the redhead. His pure conscience could not really allow himself to throw his weight on complete strangers, after all.

However, the nobility treatment did not last that long. The following week, Ogiwara found himself making his way to the gym as things got back to their usual routine. His feet were now healed, and he could just walk fine. He had been chatting up with her sister lately and of course he did not tell her about his little walk to the hilltop. The lady could throw the red heir off the very same hilltop if she learned about it. He got reminded of a little task that his devious sibling had set him up for. Ogiwara was not going to serve food only today. He had another trick up his sleeve to play and he needed to be tactful and cautious about it, even though his victim was a little bit dumb at times.

When the group finished their lunch, well obviously, the praise for his food came to no end. Akashi had somewhat managed to sneak in some tofu to accompany his lunch meals lately, much to Ogiwara's sadness. The landlady did inform him about the take-away request every morning from the red devil. Well, at least he was not the one preparing those tofus, and that being said, he knew that those tofus would not be as delicious as it should be to compliment the meals he prepared. Those packed tofus would nowhere be as good as his food, not that he was underestimating the culinary abilities of the landlady or chefs around. One thing he knew for sure, Aizawa-chan did not prepare those tofus. Those tofus might even be the leftovers of yesterday's dinner, and Ogiwara was eager to see how the redhead would incorporate the traditional, japanese tofu soup with the beef lasagna he prepared for the day. As expected, it was hilarious.

Ogiwara stayed still on the benches while the others started to gather the paper plates and cup to throw away. Sensing his lack of activity, Akashi decided that it would be the best time to taunt the brunette for making a fool out of him and his tofu soup. He refused to admit defeat over the fact that he was not getting any tofu from the brunette. As long as he was getting some for lunch, his victory over the weakling was guaranteed in his point of view.

"Shigehiro," he started, with a cold smile, "You should join us for a little match, it will be fun," Akashi requested as politely as he could, voice dripping with mock. The heir rejoiced upon seeing the annoyance flashing over Ogiwara's face.

Ogiwara took a deep breath, in and out, and put on his plastic smile.

"You know what else sounds fun? Shoving those chopsticks into my eyeballs," Ogiwara deadpanned while lifting up the chopsticks he was holding.

He maintained his poker face even after noticing Kotarou drop dead on the floor in mute laughter behind the captain. The conversation came to an abrupt end as the brunette lifted himself up and went to throw his plate and cup in the bin. He was a bit annoyed at being called out by the red heir. He still had a job to do, and thus took the time of his life to throw the stuffs away and come back. When he came back in the big building though, he grinned. Fate was by his side today.

His brother-in-law was facing the team and giving him his back, which was soon to be the canvas of his next masterpiece. Ogiwara cautiously took out a piece of folded paper and a small tape roll from his pocket. He silently unfolded the paper and tore a big piece of the tape to stick it partially on the paper. When he witnessed a couple of confusing and suspicious glares being thrown at him, he agitatedly signaled the whole audience to keep quiet about him and pretend he was not here. The assistant coach remained in complete oblivion to what was happening behind his back. He was busy concentrating on the workout plans for the team to take notice of their unusual behavior.

"Sato-san!" Ogiwara exclaimed as he hit the teacher hard on the back before throwing an arm around his neck. This scene was kind of comical, since Ogiwara had to almost get on his toes to be able to grab the teacher's neck sideways. The teacher was around 6 ft, looking like a giant next to Ogiwara's little 5'6" self.

"Shige-kun," the teacher said in surprise. "I thought you already went back."

"Nah, I'm feeling a bit heavy. I think I ate a bit too much," Ogiwara said. The teacher shuffled the brunette's hair and in turn threw his hand round Ogiwara's shoulders. They looked all buddies-buddies. Well, they _were_ buddies-buddies, duh.

"Go sit on the bench if you need a breather. You don't have to go immediately. Just make sure no flying balls hits you," Takuo teased.

"Sato-saaan," Ogiwara whined at the teasing.

The teacher laughed and went back to work, and Ogiwara casually turned back. After taking a few steps behind the teacher, he could not help but grin maniacally at his little masterpiece. That hard slap on the back was indeed for a reason, and that was to stick that spectacular piece of paper on the elder male's back. Without losing any time, he fished out his phone and took a couple of pictures of the scene in front of him. His sister did promise him a good treat for every embarrassing picture that he would send her.

Ogiwara lost no time in sending one of the most embarrassing pictures of his brother-in-law, if not _the_ most embarrassing one, to his sister. This was a good one, even better than the picture where the elder male had his mouth stuffed like a hamster with all the 7 meatballs he shoved in it simultaneously or that click where his jogging pants accidentally ripped while he was bending to pick a basketball. His sister would be elated by this one. After all, "MY WIFE SET THE RULES. I FOLLOW." was written boldly on the back of his brother-in-law.

Ogiwara did not bother to take off the paper afterwards. He slowly sneaked his way into a corner, near the door in case he needed to make a quick escape, and waited for the teacher to turn around so that the rest of the team could see his feat. When the teacher finally showed his back to the practicing game, everything came to an abrupt pause as laughter roared in the gym. Ogiwara was proud of his work. He was glad to provide the team with some entertainment, even if it was at the expense of his brother-in-law's dignity. He knew that his brother-in-law loved his too much to hate him for that. The confused face of the assistant coach only made the rest of the team double in laughter. Even the head coach joined them, much to everyone's surprise.

"What's wrong?" Takuo asked, completely at lost from the sudden change in behavior. Even the Gorgon Head was trying to stifle a laugh?! Millions of horrible though began rushing through the teacher's head. _Did he accidentally sit on a plate of lasagna and now looked like he shitted on himself?_ Before the said teacher let out a horrified gasp at his thoughts, he got interrupted.

"Senseiii…" Kotarou started, still in the middle of his laughing fits.

"Y-Your back," Mibuchi choked out in laughter.

The assistant coach immediately threw a hand to his back and ripped out the piece of paper sticking on it. He blushed like mad at the words scribbled on it and sulked.

"Shigehiroooo," he shouted, asking for the boy to show up. He knew that the only person capable of doing this was the little brunette. His wife must have corrupted the kid into doing so, _like always_. Takuo scoffed in annoyance.

At the mention of his name, the brunette quickly slipped out of the gym and listened from outside. Sensing the lack of response and presence of the teen boy, the teacher quickly turned around to the team and denied the whole thing written on the paper vigorously.

"Senseiiii," Takuo-san whined in the direction of his former coach and teacher when he failed to convince the team otherwise.

"Where is the lie?" the head coach shot back seriously, but breaking into a light chuckle in the end.

"Not you too!" Takuo cried in agony. His wife was so going to rule around with that particular picture in hand.

Even though Akashi managed to get his so loving tofu for lunch, Ogiwara still felt like it was his win since he was not the one to make the tofu dish. So, being the little saint he was, he decided to hold his mouth back, unless he was presented with a real golden opportunity to throw some shade on the snob. However, what he had found himself doing unintentionally was observing the grey-haired player. The more he observed, the greater the amount of concern he started to have for the player. When he finally caught the same boy alone in the communal bathroom in order to brush his teeth before going to bed, he went against his better judgment and tried to start a conversation with the boy.

"Mayuzumi-sempai," he greeted politely. The said boy had already taken a shower, and was arranging some of his clothes in his bag to take back to his room, or laundry probably.

"Hmm," Mayuzumi nodded back in his direction before getting back to what he was doing. The new Phantom player would be lying if he said that he was not interested in what the brunette was about to say, since he had taken the initiative to greet him properly. After all, he did notice Ogiwara flinch upon the mention of the Phantom Sixth man of Teiko.

Ogiwara wanted to face palm. He felt like he had dug himself his own grave and just had to jump in and bury himself. The lack of interest from the senior with whom he was trying to start a conversation made him want to scream in embarrassment and run away, but he had already taken a plunge in the whole thing now. He might as well try to flail his arms and legs in an attempt to float back from the awkwardness that was sure to settle quick if he did not speak soon.

"Is practice going alright?" the brunette asked, and felt like slapping himself simultaneously for showing interest in the Rakuzan training regimen. What a great way for him to start a conversation after making all that fuss for not playing basketball.

"Yeah, I guess," the elder teen replied, slightly surprised that the brunette who seemed to hate the game was actually talking about practice, but he maintained his usual poker face on.

"You use misdirection," Ogiwara stated quietly, as if it was a known fact even though he was still slightly unsure about the potentials of the Rakuzan regular.

"Yeah. You could say that I'm the New Phantom player," the grey-haired boy confirmed, shocking Ogiwara with his choice of words. This title reminded the brunette of his childhood friend, and the misery the bluenette went through because of his position in the team. This particular title was a call for trouble in his opinion.

"You… You like being called like that?" Ogiwara tried to ask normally, but stammered a bit in the beginning, revealing his nervousness. He was feeling anxious about the answer.

"It doesn't really bother me as long as I get to show what I can do on the court," the brunette deadpanned, without really catching the tension that Ogiwara was feeling.

"B-but, you really don't mind it?" the brunette asked again.

"No, why should I mind it?" Mayuzumi replied back with a question on his part, throwing his blank look to the brunette.

Those eyes… _too blank_. The phantom player's eyes were literally void of any feelings in his point of view. Ogiwara did not want to believe his senior, though his eyes seemed to be brutally honest during his reply. Some memories of Kuroko crying and breaking down during their phone calls flashed through his mind, and for the love of humanity, Ogiwara absolutely did not want anyone to go through that kind of pain. This was psychological torture, and it could happen real quick in a team of geniuses like the basketball Emperor and the Uncrowned Kings.

"Because, you disappear on court. You don't really get the recognition you deserve for your work!" Ogiwara reasoned, a bit too agitatedly. The little teen was getting kind of worked up. His little frown showed his displeasure and, _was that concern in his eyes?_ Mayuzumi was not so sure.

"Making passes is not the only thing I can do," the elder teen corrected. If the brunette thought that he could only make passes, the kid was sure up for some surprises. Not like he cared to reveal all his potentials now though. Even if he was a good player, he was not going to openly brag about it like an immature idiot.

"But you should still be careful! You don't want to end up hurt, do you?" Ogiwara retorted back. His concern was now clear. Mayuzumi was still unsure about the reason why his junior was worrying about him, but guessed that it might be related to Kuroko Tetsuya. Ogiwara's concern seemed genuine, and his facial expression was distant and strained.

"I'm not going to end up hurt or anything. I have better qualities than Teiko's Phantom player. Akashi never wanted a second Kuroko to begin with. I'm an addition of new talent, not some sort of substitution," Mayuzumi stated. He was a much better player than Kuroko, and both his captain and team knew it.

"You've seen the way Akashi plays. How can you be so sure about not getting hurt? You should still be cautious. I would not like to be in your place at all," Ogiwara said, a slight frown still hanging on his eyebrows.

"I don't see why you should be in my place, to start with," Mayuzumi deadpanned. This conversation was getting ridiculous to him.

"You're right," Ogiwara agreed wholeheartedly after a few _very_ tense seconds.

Mayuzumi raised his eyebrows in surprise at the confession of the brunette. He really expected another retort from the brunette in his attempt to get him on his guards or wary of his captain. What he did not expect was for the teen to fall for his little trap statement immediately. He felt a little guilty for rubbing that on his face, even though Ogiwara was clearly not fit for such games.

"…" The air was thick with awkwardness and tension. Ogiwara wanted to fill a bathtub and drown himself in it instead of staying silent at the sudden halt in their conversation. Even Mayuzumi felt a bit of discomfort at the abrupt turn in their talk.

"Just make good food," the older teen grumbled in an attempt to re-establish peace. He did not want to get in the bad books of the brunette. His food was indeed too good to miss, and his sassy personality against the tyrant captain was kind of entertaining to watch. But mostly, he did not want to be the subject of his sassiness and annoyance.

"You can count on me for that!" Ogiwara grinned. The tension immediately dissipated and Ogiwara welcomed the change warmly as the older teen made his way out of the room.

 _The Rakuzan regulars were not as horrible as their captain_ , he thought.

Ogiwara was unsure if he managed to convince the new phantom player to be cautious of his game, but felt like patting himself in the back for actually talking to the said teen. He could only hope that his message got conveyed properly and silently prayed for the grey-haired boy to really consider his words of advice. After that painfully awkward conversation, Ogiwara savored the silence that followed the departure of the older teen.

In a week's time, he would be back home, right where he belonged. This mere thought brought an immense amount of warmth and courage in Ogiwara.

 **A/N: So, the summer camp is nearing its end in the story. I hope that it did not come out to rushed. The next chapter will be kinda long.. so I might take a bit more time to work on it. And well, there's also this thing called Real Life that is quickly catching up to me, such an unfortunate thing it can be at times ToT Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the story so far! Thank you for taking time to read my fic story :D**

 **Rates and reviews will be much appreciated~ :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: It's a long chapter! Warning: Mayuzumi and Ogiwara may be a bit OOC in this. Sorry in advance! *sweating profusely***

 **Enjoy the reading~**

It was the last night of the training camp, and Ogiwara got dragged by Mibuchi to the room of Kotarou and Eikichi for a little gathering to celebrate the last day of their torturous training. Of course, the basketball captain was not there. That rich heir must be rotting alone in this suite he booked for his almighty self while he got to spend the some quality time with his newly made friends. Oh yes, it was impossible to not befriend the other regulars after all that coddling and pampering. Ogiwara was initially surprised to spot the new phantom player in a corner of the bed with a book in hand. Wait, _was that a light novel_? Ogiwara smiled inwardly, the resemblance was far too much. He would not be surprised if Mayuzumi ended up being the lost half brother of Kuroko, considering the many similarities they had in taste.

The small room was packed with all the regulars and him. There was no signs of adults, and Ogiwara was tempted to call his brother-in-law but decided to do otherwise. The team members might not be so familiar with the teacher, after all. And if by misfortune, someone started to talk about girls and crushes, he would be embarrassed to no end. Better leave this little festivity for their own little teenage group.

Eikichi was sprawled on his bed, addressing to Kotarou who was sitting on his own, with Mayuzumi in the corner with his light novel. They were both greeted cheerfully when they entered, but there was clearly a lack of space for him to get a decent seat. Mibuchi was quick to throw himself of the floor in the space between the two beds, and made himself comfortable while leaning against one of the bed's leg. Ogiwara stayed still for a couple of seconds, while assessing the best place for him to settle down on. However, he was quickly interrupted when the smiling giant on the floor called him.

"Shige-chaan! Come sit here," the black-haired boy said shamelessly which motioning for the brunette to come sit between his legs. "We can cuddle," the elder teen teased.

 _Oh god, here he goes again_ , Ogiwara thought. Mibuchi had developed this habit of pulling his legs ever since they got friendly. Sure, the boy was very friendly and loving, but the teasing could be embarrassing a lot for Ogiwara at times, especially since he did unconsciously cuddle with the elder teen in his sleep on the first night of the camp.

"You know," the black-haired teen continued while looking to the others in the room, "Ogiwara is really fond of hugs and cuddling." Mibuchi proudly stated, being the only one to know about this.

"Mibuchi-saaan" Ogiwara started to whine, but got interrupted Hayama.

"This is not the first time you're saying this. How did you find out about that?" the blong guy asked, genuinely intrigued by the findings of his team mate.

"Hayama-" Ogiwara tried to stop the conversation but got cut again. He scoffed at the two seniors while crossing his arms and started to tap his right foot in annoyance.

"The first night we spent here, I accidentally went on his bed when coming back from the restroom. Don't blame me, I was sleepy and it was dark," Mibuchi started, not an ounce of shame on his face for getting into the bed of another boy. It was clear that the tall teen did not really regret his mistake.

"I unintentionally hugged him from his back for some time, and guess what? He _purred and snuggled_ into me!" the black-haired boy exclaimed happily, earning a surprised gasp from his blond team mate and catching the attention of Mayuzumi, who was silently eavesdropping their conversation while looking uninterested.

"That's so gay, I feel like puking rainbows," Nebuya scoffed.

"How could you, Mibuchi-san? How could you do this to me?" Ogiwara implored. There goes the little dignity he had. They whole group now knew about his thing for cuddles.

"And then what happened? Did he kick your butt out of the bed?" Hayama prompted Mibuchi to continue.

"No. He simply woke me up and told me off. He's a saint, really," Mibuchi praised the little brunette, just like the boy had requested on that fateful night. Ogiwara rolled his eyes, hard. This sempai of his had an awesome memory, he had to admit.

"He should have kicked your butt out though. No man wants to be spooned by another man," Nebuya rebuked.

Ogiwara scoffed again. This muscle mania really had to grow some muscles in his brain.

"I need to feed you more nuts, Nebuya-san. Your judgmental self is showing no signs of retreat," the brunette lectured.

"What did I do wrong this time?" growled the bigger teen, clearly confused and upset by the statement of his kouhai.

"There are actually people who do not mind being handled by the same sex," Ogiwara stated.

"Ogiwara Shigehiro- defender of human rights and people's opinions, everyone," the blond guy applauded.

"Are you one of them?"Mibuchi could not miss this occasion to tease the younger male, and was rewarded with a furious blush and a big frown from Ogiwara.

"I give up. You win," Nebuya was trading no good food for no foul opinions.

Ogiwara made his way to the buff boy and sat on a free corner in his bed. He was so done with this talk.

"Listen up, y'all! I haven't gotten to the best part of the story yet!" Mibuchi exclaimed excitedly.

"Is there even a best part?" the grey-haired player finally got into the conversation that was taking place.

"I hardly doubt so. Reo and his imagination can run too wild at times," Nebuya replied.

"Everyone, listen to me! It's no fantasy, I swear. Ogiwara has the softest skin ever! I _unconsciously_ brushed my hand against his abdomen that night and damn, I mistook him for a baby," Mibuchi commented in approval.

The statement of the black-haired boy met with an array of reactions from his little audience. Hayama seemed genuinely interested by the facts of his teammate. The blond guy even threw a quick glance at the brunette to see if his skin looked like the description given by Mibuchi. Nebuya thinned his mouth into silence, squinting his right eye slightly. The buff guy had absolutely no idea how to take that piece of news. His teammate coddled with another boy, and was even narrating the whole thing _in details_. Should he punch Mibuchi for that unwanted piece of information or let it slip this time? At least Ogiwara seemed to panic over the unfolding of this event. Mayuzumi kept his usual blank face on, not giving any hint about what was running into his mind.

"Mibuchi-san, I warned you already! Do not call me a baby! And for the love of my sweet-and-sour dish, shut up," Ogiwara snapped, successfully shutting the black haired teen up.

"You're right. He's not a baby. Have you not seen the way he defied Akashi?" Nebuya added quickly, jumping on the occasion to switch the topic. If his team mate continued to talk about the previous one, he might end up choking Mibuchi with a pillow for tainting his pure ears.

"Bloody amazing," Hayama added in complete appreciation.

" You got my respect for that, kiddo. Since that day, I knew better than to taunt you for your lack of muscles. You're one tough guy," Nebuya genuinely respected the little guy for being able to confront the basketball captain. He was not stupid enough to do that himself, especially after going through those hellish training of the redhead.

"I second that," Mayuzumi added, earning a surprised glare from everyone. _Wow, our sempai is really trying to join the conversation instead of being the mute show he usually is_ , everyone was amazed.

"How do you even manage to speak like that to him?" Mibuchi queried. Everyone else silently sighed in relief as they successfully managed to steer the conversation away from a certain little brunette's skin touch.

"Hahaha," Ogiwara laughed smugly.

He was being praised for something else other than his food and _boy_ , was he loving it. The brunette was a real fisher for compliments. One week was more than enough for the whole team to discover that. If they unintentionally stepped on the little guy's nerve, one well-qualified compliment was enough to turn the furious little guy into an unintelligent puddle of blushing mess. The more flattering remarks he received, the more bashful he usually became. But this time, Ogiwara felt proud like a hero. After all, defying the commands of the red tyrant was no easy feat.

"It's not that hard, y'know," he lied smoothly and almost convinced himself so in a feeble attempt to appear more grandiose than he already was. The regulars were a bit skeptic about his words though.

"Since your captain dragged me into this club against my will, I have to make sure that he regrets his decision in every little possible way, you see. Stripping him from his royalty treatment seemed like a nice start, until he made me climb that goddamn hill but _no!_ " Ogiwara held his little finger up and shook it at that last word to make a better impact.

"He can't tame my wild and sexy self like that ," the brunette stated, making the audience laugh at his choice of words. The sassy Ogiwara was surfacing.

"You're incredible. I'd never be able to do that, seriously," Nebuya confessed in all honesty. Sure he looked all intimidating with those big muscles, but it took only one glare from his heterochromatic captain to make him reconsider his options in life.

"I'm awesome, I know," Ogiwara grinned. The muscle buff was finally praising _his_ strength, after all the ruckus he made about his lack of muscles and stuffs. That mere thought was enough to make the brunette all giddy-giddy. He sure was going to get a good sleep tonight.

"Ne, Shige-chan, since when do you know Akashi?"

That particular question, dropped so casually by Mibuchi, burst the little brunette out of his happy bubble. Ogiwara actually flinched at the question. Millions of thoughts began reeling in his mind, and no, they were not bad, depressing ones. The little teen began to assess his relationship and closeness with the team. Were they close enough for him to reveal this particular detail to them?

Ogiwara did not want to burden them with the complicated, hateful past he shared with their captain in details. He was indeed reluctant to reveal this to his new friends, and in the inside, he was still afraid to talk explicitly about the issues he faced because of what the audience might classify as a simple defeat. That match was no simple defeat for his team; it was pure and utter humiliation that the former ace could still feel if he did not control his thoughts properly.

"You're not from Teiko, right?" Ogiwara's train of thoughts got interrupted by the stupid question from a certain blond.

"Of course not, baka," he quickly denied.

"So… how come you know each other from before?" Mibuchi prompted cautiously.

"And Teiko's Phantom Sixth man, too," Mayuzumi silently added. He was curious about this particular boy, and his relationship with Ogiwara.

Ogiwara looked like a deer caught in headlights at the smooth addition of his grey-haired senior. His relationship with Kuroko Tetsuya was a cherished memory that got cursed by the bad intentions of the Emperor eyes. His childhood friend was still a very delicate and fragile topic for him to talk about, ever since he got crushed by the Generation of Miracles. Ogiwara felt like a coward for running away from his best friend. He did blame the former Teiko captain for the damage that had been inflicted upon the morale of his team to some extent, but deep inside, the brunette knew that he was also at fault for letting himself go down like that. Ogiwara still had not attempted to get into contact with Tetsuya since that match, and in some sense, he blamed himself for breaking this valuable friendship. The mention of the Phantom Sixth man did push the brunette into his memory lanes.

"…." Ogiwara grew uncharacteristically quiet as he struggled with his thoughts. He did not want to be judged for his pathetic downfall, but at the same time, he did not want to believe that the others would judge him for that. The little brunette's dilemma became clearer with time, causing the others to worry about him. They had witnessed him having a mental breakdown in the gym before, and heaven forbid this little angel to cry like that again.

"You don't have to force yourself to answer!" Mibuchi added hurriedly.

"No, it's alright. I think you would have come to know about it later. And truth be told, I'd rather be the one telling you this instead of having you hear of it from another source," Ogiwara smiled in response. He took in a big breath. _This was going to be a long, long, long, loooong night._

"I was the ace of the Meiko team," Ogiwara blurted out quickly. He was met with a few seconds of silence as everyone digested the new piece of information.

"The 111-11 match?" Nebuya asked for confirmation.

When they saw the brunette nod, the whole team felt dreadful and mortified. That final match was a game that was carved forcefully and bloodily in the history of basketball. That was one infamous match that crept out every single basketball player in the country, except for the winning team. They could not even fathom how they would have gotten over such a defeat in their life, let alone experience it. It reminded the Rakuzan regulars why they should fear as well as get disgusted by their captain .This was a very sensitive topic that they had just tackled.

Never did any of them thought about the little brunette as someone who was on _that_ team and went against the Generation of Miracles in _that_ match. What they could not believe even more was that this guy was actually a former basketball player, an _ace_ on top of it, who drove his team to the finals of a sensational tournament. An ace could not be so thin; it was nearly impossible for Ogiwara to be an athlete with a physique like that. It must have been disturbingly wrong for the little teen to end up in such a state so quickly. That final match was just last year, goddamn it! Disturbing ideas began flashing through their mind as they considered the ways Ogiwara might have lost so much weight in such a little lapse of time.

"I'm sorry!" Mibuchi shrieked in horror before yelling an apology for reminding the brunette of that wicked match.

"Please don't apologize! It's alright," Ogiwara quickly coaxed his hyperventilating seniors- Hayama and Mibuchi.

Nebuya stayed frozen as he tried to process the new stuffs in his little brain. Mayuzumi could only stare, in complete shock, at the thin boy in front of him. A little defeat could not have done so much damage. There must be something even more deep, sinister, behind such a drastic change, and the grey-haired boy could only suppose that it might be related to a certain bluenette. He held himself from probing more, in fear of triggering some alarms in the little teen. The phantom player still could not believe his eyes, and yet there it laid in front of him; an aftermath of the brutal play of his basketball captain.

"Really?" Mayuzumi asked after getting over his initial shock.

"I swear," Ogiwara raised his arms in all honesty.

"But… those marks on your waist," Kotarou was reluctant to bring that matter up, but he felt the pressing need to make sure that the brunette was completely fine now.

"Your vision is as sharp as that little fang of yours, isn't it?" Ogiwara hummed at the boy before continuing.

"Well… Obviously, I was not fine before. Not at all," the brunette shrugged while confessing. This conversation turned heavy, and the rest of the team could only look at the brunette with concerned and pained eyes.

"I mean, who would be fine after such a humiliation?" Ogiwara chucked nervously.

"I did some stupid stuffs to try to forget that defeat. You could say that I had a trip to crazyville and came back, thanks to the amazing support I got. It did leave some marks, as you could notice," he looked at Hayama and Mibuchi while saying the last part.

"Some damage had already been done by the time it was over. It was hard to resist the bad impulses at first, but not impossible. My family made sure it was not impossible!" Ogiwara exclaimed the last part with a light laugh.

The brunette did not want to go into the explicit details of his downturn. He could still recall some of those throbbing impulses he felt whenever he got reminded of his defeat in that tender period. He followed them so helplessly, _naively_ , and ended up hurting himself and his own family in the process. His skin had been slashed and scarred, his weight dropped drastically, and his family got so overprotective because of his impulses at that time. He went with the bad flow, got himself treated when it started going out of control, and after some time, learned to rely on his family during his toughest times in life. This episode came with a lesson in his life. Ogiwara sighed.

"I am a tough kid, I grew some balls and got over it," the brunette declared.

"Are.. are you still hurting yourself?" Hayama dared to ask.

The idea of Ogiwara being a basketball player, those scar marks, his thin silhouette, that one breakdown in the gym; it was all so alarming and the blond guy was taking no risk. Even though he knew that it was not his place for doing so, and that he might not really deserve an explanation for all of this, Hayama could only say that he had grown fond of the little brunette too much. He at least hoped that Ogiwara considered of him as a good friend enough to tell him about his current issues if he had any and, dear god, he only prayed for things to be otherwise. The idea that this very sassy defiant of the orders of their basketball captain might be injuring himself was heart-breaking.

"That was a stupid mistake on my part," Ogiwara started.

"I left that task to your beloved captain, and hell do I make sure to bite back hard every time he hurts me. Have you seen his face when I refused to prepare his tofu? It was _divine_ ," Ogiwara recalled with stars shining in his eyes.

"Are you fine, Shigehiro-san?" Mibuchi asked seriously, still concerned about the said boy. Ogiwara was a little surprised to notice the drop of his usual nickname, and decided this to be the right time to break the tension that had settled in the room.

"Better than ever! I mean, look at this body," Ogiwara emphasized while standing up from his little seat, swished around in his loose wife beater, and posed in a completely over-the-top sensual way.

"I've been getting love letters from girls," the brunette paused to make a dramatic impact, "… _and guys_ ," he deadpanned. The brunette crossed his arms and shook his head in disapproval.

The whole team froze at the sudden statement, until Hayama switched on his usual character and began laughing like a mad man. Soon, everyone else joined the laughing quest.

"It's not even funny!" the little brunette whined in disbelief.

That statement of the little brunette was so random and hilarious. Even Mayuzumi could not fight the chuckles that erupted behind the novel in front of his face. The tension quickly dissipated, and everyone welcomed the change in the room's atmosphere.

* * *

Ogiwara knew that it was a very wrong idea to listen to the horror stories that were being narrated by his sempais and yet, like the big idiot he could be at times, he stayed with them and tried to put on a brave front while listening to the horrible tales. Now, he was stuck in his room with a big urge to pee, but was too scared to go to the restroom alone. Mibuchi was deeply asleep on the other side of the room; Ogiwara knew that it would be utterly futile to try to wake the older teen up. He could only get up from the bed and head to the neighboring door like a quick ninja trying to escape the demons hiding in the darkness.

When he managed to get in the other room though, he was met with more disappointment. The other guys were also sleeping. Ogiwara approached Hayama and shook the said boy, but in vain. The blond only grumbled and kicked the air in retaliation before setting on snoozing mode again. Ogiwara had no choice but to approach the muscle man. He knew that if that particular guy came to know about his reason for waking him up, he could be ridiculed for the rest of his life. But his urge to pee was too much, he could worry about the other stuffs later. He cautiously shook the buff boy and was a bit surprised to see the guy respond almost immediately. Eikichi sure had a light sleep for the heavy body he had.

"What is it?" the older teen grumbled while yawning.

"I need to go to the restroom," Ogiwara quietly mumbled. Nebuya registered the voice as that of the brunette but was confused about his statement. _Why was the little shrimp asking for his permission to go to the restroom? What was he now, some kind of dorm matron?_

"You can go," the tanned male granted him the permission to go while settling back in bed comfortably to go to sleep.

"I can't go alone," the brunette blushed in embarrassment as he reluctantly mumbled those words, and was glad that it was dark.

"Why?" Eikichi was confused.

"Because of the Red Hand," Ogiwara confessed in a little voice. Nebuya _snorted_ , all sleepiness flowing over his head.

"What?!" he whisper-yelled. He could not believe his ears. "You know this is all fake, right?"

"I'm scared. Nebuya-sempai, please come with me," Ogiwara whined like a kid.

"Alright, I get it _kiddo_ ," the bigger teen laughed as he got up.

They both made their way to the common restroom, and Ogiwara made sure that the buff guy was just behind the door as he did his business. He could clearly hear the chuckles of Eikichi, but it did not really matter to him as long as he had him serve as a bodyguard. The story of the Red Hand that emerged from the wall of the restroom and strangled its victims while they were taking a piss was sure funny for the others, but not to him. Ogiwara felt bad chills run down his spine as Mibuchi narrated the whole story and how the victims turned blue and got chocked to death. He was more than happy to have someone accompany him to the toilet to save him from that freaking Red Hand in case it actually appeared.

When he was done, he flushed and came out quickly. Nebuya leaned against the wall next to the sink as Ogiwara proceeded to wash his hand. The bigger teen was still fighting the urge to laugh his ass off at the little brunette. _Definitely awesome_ , he thought. His amusement, however, was short lived. When the lights suddenly went off, Nebuya froze and Ogiwara squirmed in fear. The little brunette had just closed the tap, and was met with complete silence as darkness invaded.

"Nebuya-san, did you do that?" the brunette tried to keep his calm.

"I'm still standing next to you, Ogiwara. How can I do that when the switch is on the other side of the room?" the buff guy replied obediently. This was not funny anymore. To be more honest, the buff guy felt his adrenaline pump up in fear.

"Then who did this?" Ogiwara asked in a shaky voice.

"I-I don't know," the tanned boy stammered in his reply.

Just after the reply, a light thud was heard and Eikichi felt a vibration on the wall. The buff boy quickly jumped away from it as he felt the vibration again, and the thud sound became clearer. It felt like someone, or something was trying to break through the wall. The thudding vibrations became louder and increased in pace, just like the heartbeat of both teens in the room. Ogiwara quickly latched on the older teen as soon as he felt his presence and heard his voice next to him. He was convinced that the Red Hand was going to manifest soon, and he felt his eyes widen in horror as he kept on mumbling prayers and clung to the bigger male as if his life depended on it. Eikichi was not a boy who usually believed in all those ridiculous stuffs, but for once in his life, he was scared because of those goddamn stories, and no, he was not happy about it at all. He also tightened his hold around the little teen in his arms as the thumping became louder and clearer.

 _This was it_ , Ogiwara thought. This was how he was going to die. He began reminiscing the good memories he spent in his life. Playing basketball with Kuroko, the wedding of his sister, teasing and pranking his brother in law, defying and pissing off the red tyrant and _oh gosh_ , his last memory made his heart tighten in his little chest. His godly creations in the kitchen, the world was surely going to miss them so much after his death. Who would cook such awesome food like him in the future? Millions of thoughts and rambles went through the brunette's mind and out of his mouth as he kept of holding Eikichi tight.

A red light flashed in front of their eyes and both males let out the most girlish, high pitched scream ever. It was loud, and they would not really be surprised if they managed to wake up everyone in the region with that scream. They literally jumped in horror at the sudden flash. Ogiwara shut his eyes hard and buried his face into the chest of the bigger teen. To say that the little brunette was mortified would be a big, fat understatement. Ogiwara cut his senses away from his surroundings. He was doing his damned best to not hear or see anything, and did not give a damn if he was clinging to someone like a damsel in distress. He was scared shitless, and he was not going to move his head to face the horrors that crawled into his thoughts about what was awaiting for him in his room. Nebuya was being the perfect security blanket that he hoped for.

Eikichi also shut his eyes closed at first, but when he heard the click of the light switch being turned on, he slowly opened one of them to peek at the sight it front of him. Light flooded the whole room and near the switch was found one very familiar person. The buff boy opened his eyes wide and scowled as realization dawned upon him. The little brunette was still stuck to him like a life-sucking parasite, but what bothered the tanned teen the most was that they both have been _pranked_.

By none other than _Mayuzumi Chihiro_.

The said boy was fighting off tears from laughing too much. Mayuzumi was not happy with the fact that they were going to end the whole summer training camp without a prank. Sure, the little brunette was able to 'prank' the assistant coach for a good laugh, but someone in the team had to be pranked too. He had noticed with mild interest the way Ogiwara behaved while they were telling the horror stories before, and correctly guessed that such a situation would arise. The brunette was indeed too scared to go to the restroom in the night, and had someone to accompany him. At the perfect moment, the grey-haired boy decided to pull this little scare prank. He turned off the lights, hit the walls ominously and flashed out the red home-screen paper on his mobile. The scream that the younger teens let out had been a very fulfilling one to his ears.

What he did not expect though, was for everyone on the floor to wake up because of the sudden noise. While he was still having laughing fits near the door, Hayama and Kotarou grumpily made their way to the restroom. They were annoyed by the disturbance, but after seeing the absence of their team mates, they grew a little worried about what might have happened. Both uncrowned kings were met with a pretty unusual sight. Their grey-haired senior was having a good laugh, while Nebuya looked like he just shitted in his pants and Ogiwara buried his face in his arms as a scared cat.

"What happened?" Reo groaned.

"A prank," Mayuzumi let out in between his silent laugh.

"That was not funny, Mayuzumi-san," Nebuya scolded.

"It was, for me. Man, I should've recorded that reaction," the phantom player mused.

"Is Shige-chan fine?" Reo asked while throwing a glance at the little teen that gave no hints of bulging.

Nebuya was so pissed off at his senior for a moment that he forgot about the little boy that was still holding tight on him.

"Oi! It was prank, straighten yourself up. We need to boot our sempai for that very poor trick he pulled on us," Nebuya rambled and shook the little boy slightly away from him.

When Ogiwara refused to let go, he frowned. The others approached the two to have a better look over the smallest among them. The absolute lack of response or any kind of reaction from Ogiwara was a little worrying. The little boy refused to unbuckle himself away, and kept his face buried in the shirt of his big friend. When Nebuya felt a little wetness on his shirt, he panicked.

"Hey! You're not crying, are you?" the dark skinned guy hurriedly asked, eyes widening in horror.

The _only_ boy who managed to _successfully_ defy the basketball Emperor and sole heir of the Akashi Company was crying because of a little scare prank in the arms of another guy. Everyone stood silent, completely dumbfounded and speechless. The _only_ boy who was not afraid to confront _the_ Akashi Seijuro was trembling and clinging hard for his dear life after a stupid prank that his sempai pulled on him. _Wow_ , Ogiwara Shigehiro would never fail to amaze them. Nobody knew how to react to that.

"Ogiwara, are you alright?" Mayuzumi was no longer laughing now. Everyone grew concerned at the silence. They all stared at each other for a little while, unsure about what to do with the little teen.

Ogiwara might or might not have shed a few tears in shock. His brain was so frozen that it might start playing _let it go_ in his mind. He stood stuck in the same clinging position even after the whole situation diffused. He had to calm down first, and convince himself that there was no Red Hand around. The voice of the team members slowly soothed him out of his fear, and when his ears were met with an awkward silence again, he knew that it was about damn time for him to give a response before they start to literally pry him away from his newly found human security blanket.

The little brunette took a shaky breath in and out, and _very slowly_ , turned his head around slightly to peek at the show in front of him. He squinted hard as he registered the light, and noticed the worried gaze of his friends. Everyone froze and watched him intently, as if they were faced with a little squirrel that could run away if they did something brash. Ogiwara released his hold on the muscled boy and turned around quickly. He rushed to the sink and washed his face, wanting to get rid of those tears on him before someone took notice of them. He had completely forgotten about the fact that in front of the sink was found a big ass mirror, and that his little teary eyes and red nose was clearly visible through it.

"You are one _horrible, horrible_ person," the brunette accused while pointing his little finger in the direction of the phantom man after washing his face. Ogiwara was in a very foul mood. He did not take the prank well at all, and he wanted to slap the grey-haired senior for making him nearly die in shock.

Mayuzumi struggled to keep his usual poker face on upon the bold statement of the little teen. He did not know if he wanted to laugh at the little boy's reaction or cry for entering his bad books. Crying seemed like a more realistic option when he remembered the way Ogiwara gave Nebuya and piece of his mind back in the locker room and how effectively he was able to shut his captain up in the gym a few days back. He decided to opt for the safe way out.

"Was it too much? I'm sorry," the older teen instantly let out.

Ogiwara was now conflicted. Should he forgive his senior or throw a tantrum about the prank that scared the shit out of his short life? He chose to go back to bed, feeling a wave of exhaustion quickly catching up after the rollercoaster of an emotional ride he went through. He just wanted some peace back, even if it cost the peace of mind of the others. He knew that the others would remain concerned until he confirmed that he was fine, but the little brunette was _so done_ with everything. He needed a good sleep.

"I'm tired. Good night," he cut short and went to his room.

Ogiwara buried himself under his cover despite the hot summer air and forced himself to sleep quickly so that he did not have to think of this utmost humiliating and scary experience he just went through.

* * *

When the head coach and his assistant saw no one, except the majestic basketball captain, come down for breakfast the next morning, they felt like something was fishy. The Akashi heir did not go on a murder rampage, right? Takuo volunteered to go check on the missing boys, and when he actually got to the fateful site, he was more that glad at the final turn of events. The first room he checked on was his own little brother-in-law's. He knocked the door twice and when he got no response, the teacher opened the door and cautiously walked into the room.

Takuo had to laugh in delight at the view in front of him. He wasted no time in taking a picture of the completely _adorable_ sight. He had to capture this moment, cause he knew for sure that this particular picture was going in one of their photo albums. Ogiwara was still asleep, sound in bed and sandwiched between two tall giants, Mibuchi and Mayuzumi. The small duvet was barely enough to cover the three bodies. The window of the room seemed to have been left opened all night, and to fight the chill that was spreading from it directly above their heads, the three teens all cuddled and bundled up like little rabbits on one bed.

The other bed in the room, however, narrated a whole different story. It must have been a battle for dominance on the space available, seeing that Nebuya was sprawled across it like it was his own, and Hayama looked like he was kicked out of bed and decided to make himself comfortable on the floor with the covers that hanged from the bed down to him. All teens were still in a deep slumber, and Takuo did not have the heart to wake them up. Shaking his head, he slowly made his way back and could not resist the grin that spread on his face as a response to Shirogane sensei's probing about the boys who were still asleep.

 _At least there was one genuinely positive outcome from this summer camp_ , the teacher mused as he thought over the bonds that were formed in those two week's time.

 **Additional Notes: Now that the summer camp is over, the plot that I have in mind is** **slowly** **nearing its end. There's still time till we reach the climax though. As for the pairing, I've decided to not add any pairing in the story! I'll stick to what I have originally planned, but I may or may not write a sequel with more development and maybe a pairing though hehe. No promises! :X Also, I wrote a quick one-shot fic while I was working on this chapter... I will be humbled if you check it out, it's a humour fic and contains Akashi :D**

 **Anyway, I hope you liked the story so far. Rates and reviews will be much appreciated!~ :D**


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: Sorry for the late update! I'm super busy lately, with the results coming out this week and a farewell party to organise and well, stuffs. This month's updates may be kind of irregular. This is a kind of filler chapter, and tbh, I'm not so happy about it idk why. Well I know why actually. Because it's a big twist from the main plot, but is actually important for the sequel! Yes everybody,** ** _sequel!_** **This story is nearing its end, but it's very likely to have a sequel hehe :D and this chapter would play a _very_ big part in it :P Get ready for some kawaii family tiiiiime! **

"Shige-chaaaaaaan~"

The voice of her sister was like honey to Ogiwara's ears. It was like hot chocolate during a stormy weather, the rewarding pat on the back after a victory. After spending two whole weeks in the presence of big, buff males and an old lady as a kitchen companion, the brunette had to admit that he missed the attention and coaxing he usually received at home from his sister. His sister had been a motherly figure to him ever since he moved to them, but she was also his really good friend. Takuo-san was his enthusiastic side-kick, in all highs and lows.

"Shiori-neeeeeee~" Ogiwara sang back, dropping all his stuffs and running to the said person. It was reunion time, for god's sake. Of course he was not going to care about anything else except for his lovely sister who could be quite scary at times.

"I missed you!" the sister exclaimed as she hugged the teen.

"I missed you too!" Ogiwara yelled back earnestly.

Two weeks in the presence of a red tyrant would definitely make someone miss home. Ogiwara felt a weight drop from his back as he breathed in the fresh scent of home from the hug. It was comforting to his senses and mind.

"Did you miss me?" Takuo asked enthusiastically as he joined the two siblings with their bags in hand.

"No." Shiori deadpanned.

"That hurts, darling," the teacher whined while pouting at his wife.

"Hmphh.." the said lady turned her back to her husband and continued to talk to her little brother.

"Those photos are golden! I know that I can always trust you for those little tasks!"

Shiori never expected his little brother to be able to take so much embarrassing photos of his husband. She estimated one or two funny shots, but those five absolute busted clicks drove her to tears, while laughing obviously. After all the good laugh though, she wanted to shed a different kind of tears. The expenses that would follow from all the eating around was going to cost a lot. So much for having a mischievous little brother and an idiot as a husband.

"You owe me five full meal treats," Ogiwara reminded the lady. He knew his sister very well, and he was not going to let her get away from her promise. He loved food, no way he was missing any free treats.

"Wait, you took more than one embarrassing photos of me?!" Takuo shrieked in horror. His wife was going to make him trade his soul to the devil with those photos in hand.

"Of course he did. He loves food. Everyone loves food. People will do anything for good food," Shiori reasoned. A completely valid reason.

"You so dumb, Sato," she continued, shaking her head in disapproval at the ignorance of the teacher.

 _Or maybe Shigehiro was being the little sneaky fox he could be at times_ , she mused silently. Of course she was not going to voice that out. Shiori was not letting this little opportunity slip from her hand; she liked to tease her husband a lot.

The little family gathering took an abrupt turn when the Akashi heir came in the line of view of Shiori.

"I refuse to breathe the same air as that majestic brat. Get me away from him. He will leave a bad influence on my _baby_ ," she stated, crossing her arms and turning her head away from the sight of the heir.

The last word of her sister turned a bad switch in the head of Ogiwara. How many times would people call him a baby when he was 115 pounds of soaking sexiness undergoing a puberty craze? The brunette rolled his eyes, breathing hard while trying to control his flaring anger. Just how many times would he have to repeat the same thing again and again before they all get it? He was _not_ a baby, and hated to be addressed as one unless, obviously, he was getting something good and worth the pain of being treated like one in return. After spending one whole week making this clear with the whole team and an especially nagging black-haired shooter who constantly denied his claims, Ogiwara was done. That mere word was enough to make him snap in anger. He was done with this word. No one was going to call him baby again.

"Why does everyone keep on calling me a baby?! It's so frustrating. I managed to come out alive, with my hands clean from blood and my words, well, not so clean from profanities, after staying two full weeks in _his_ proximity. Do you know what does that mean? I'm anything but a baby. I went to a summer camp with the devil incarnated and got out alive, goddamn it. Praise my phenomenal self instead of calling me baby!" Ogiwara ranted. He felt really good to let all his feelings out.

"I'm not talking about you, baka!" Shiori interrupted the monologue of his dramatic brother.

"Ohh!" Takuo exclaimed in delight at the sudden words of his wife.

"How romantic of you to call me baby, darling!" the older male continued, taking her wife in his arms in a hug. Out of reflex, Shiori hugged the male back, only to sigh in the end.

"Why are you both so dumb? I'm talking about this." The woman released her hold on his husband and placed a hand on her belly.

"WHAT?!" both males exclaimed.

"Hehehehe. I bet you did not think of that," the lady smirked. Casually dropping a bomb news on the head of the two other idiots staying with her had already become a little habit of hers, but the reaction she got every time was priceless, like today.

"Are you serious?!" Sato-san yelled. The poor teacher's face was becoming red in anticipation.

"Why would I lie about being pregnant?" the lady questioned.

"HOLY MOLY!" Sato cried in joy.

"OH KAMI SAMA!" Ogiwara was flailing his hands in front of his face for some air. The little brunette was starting to hyperventilate. His sister was expecting. _What the fuck?_

"Are you really serious?" the teen asked again, unable to believe his ears.

When he saw her sister nod firmly, he screamed a very high-pitched joyous scream and began jumping on his feet like a little kid. The brunette temporarily caught the attention of everyone, and was completely oblivious about it.

"I can't believe this!" the lucky husband hugged his expecting wife.

"Five years! Five freaking years!" he continued, tears of joy forming in their eyes. The couple was completely shameless during their little PDA time, and Ogiwara could not care less about it. He needed some more time to make sure that he was not dreaming or getting pranked.

"It was about damn time, if you ask me but still," the teen boy stated after regaining his calm momentarily, earning a laugh from the couple clinging to each other.

"I can't believe this! I need to breathe. I need some air in my lungs, oh my god!" Ogiwara started hyperventilating again as soon as he noticed the adorable way the lovesick couple were holding each other.

"This is too good to be real! Tell me I'm not dreaming!" The hyperventilation of Ogiwara rubbed off on Takuo as he exclaimed again, unable to get rid of the grin plastered on his face.

Shiori was getting a little bit annoyed by the constant 'are-you-serious?' and 'am-i-dreaming?'. She took the initiative to put an end with it and punched her idiot husband on the arm to prove him otherwise. It was all real. She was carrying his baby in her womb, and needed to get away from any bad vibes of the red devil of a basketball captain who was currently a safe distance away from her.

"You didn't have to hit me so hard, you know. I'm the father of your unborn child." The young teacher whined, breaking into a grin at the end of his statement.

"Look at your idiot self, already taking on the boast. What are you, some rich spoiled brat?" Shiori complained at the grinning idiot who was holding her.

"A proud, soon-to-be father!" the teacher declared happily, eliciting a laugh from his wife and received a little peck on the lips.

"Fuuuuuuu-" Ogiwara was still freaking out at the news. And the little talks between the couple were only making it worse for his hyperventilating self to calm down. He was going to be an uncle, for god's sake. He had so much to learn, but first of all, he had to relax, which seemed to be a bit unlikely to occur soon.

"You're really going to have a baby!" the teen stated excitedly, chuckling at her sister and grinning so wide that his cheeks started to pain a little bit.

"No. I'm going to give birth to an angel," the lady corrected, grinning back at her little brother.

"Oh My God!" Ogiwara was on the verge of tears. He was so genuinely happy for the couple. "I'm so happy."

"Good. Now throw your bags in the car. We need to get away from the brat before his evilness seeps into my unborn baby. Can you see it, the dark aura and heavy air surrounding him? I can't breathe such air. It's bad for the baby." Shiori was a very cautious lady, and she was taking no risks with her pregnancy.

On the way back home, the situation was a complete reverse of how it when Shiori dropped them off for the training camp. Takuo was on the wheels, humming pleasantly as they drove home. His wife was smiling next to him in the passenger seat, happy that her idiot husband was excited and elated about the pregnancy news. Ogiwara had finally managed to calm down, and his awesome mathematical skills began to kick in as he processed the news. He quickly formed a very tempting hypothesis in his mind. He only needed a confirmation before annoying the shit out of everyone in the car about it.

"So… at how many weeks are you now?" the teen boy asked casually.

"Five!" her sister chimed in cheerfully.

Ogiwara chuckled. Karma sure works in strange ways. This was the golden opportunity that had been presented to him to pull his sister's leg after all the time the woman threw his conception time in his face. Ogiwara's pure ears and good thoughts about his parents were tainted by the harsh teasing of his sister since the day of his 13th birthday, when the older sibling declared shamelessly that he was the result of birthday sex, and Ogiwara, unwillingly, knew that it was true as he did some simple math over the months. Exactly nine months before his birth was his dad's birthday, ugh. Since he entered into his teenage years, his sister's taunts about him being a birthday sex mistake had been a very efficient and quick way to annoy and piss him off. Ogiwara's light chuckles soon took an eerie tone as he thought more about the new discovery he made.

"I know everything," the brunette declared with a creepy laugh.

"What are you now? Akashi Seijuro?" Shiori snapped. She was not liking that weird laugh of his little brother, which usually meant bad news for her peace of mind.

"Wedding anniversary sex! Hahahahaha," the brunette roared in laughter.

Sato instantly blushed at the bold declaration of the teen. He always reprimanded his wife on teasing the little boy with the time of his conception, and of course, his words always flew over Shiori's head as the scary woman would rub that on his little brother's face to annoy the kid. Now, his wife and him would have to pay for the price of teasing the teen so much. He observed the frown that settled on his wife's face as she listen to the exclamation of the teen.

"What do you want?" the pregnant lady sighed. Shiori was regretting the smartness of his little brother for the first time. That kid was quick to do the calculations. But what she was regretting the most was teasing the boy with similar talks.

"The tables have turned, hahaha," Ogiwara was enjoying the moment and the annoyance in his sister's voice a bit too much.

"Look, I'm sorry. I regret calling you birthday mistake all the time, so please spare me from the taunts," the sister declared forfeit instantly. She was not taking any chances with this.

"It's alright, sis. After all, I'm on the wrong here," the brunette replied nonchalantly, confusing the couple in front of him.

"What do you mean?" Shiori asked.

"It's not wedding anniversary sex. It's _drunk_ wedding anniversary sex," Ogiwara corrected his mistake, smirking at the sight of the blush deepening on his brother-in-law's face and the big scowl forming on his sister's face. Before they got to respond to it, he continued.

"The Cabernet Sauvignon was worth its price, huh? Good for you, Sato-san." The brunette patted the shoulder of the driving male while congratulating him.

"Oh God, what trouble did I invite in now?" the brunette lady muttered.

"Don't worry, Shiori-nii, I'll make sure that your little _angel_ knows about this on its 13th birthday," Ogiwara coaxed this sister. No way he was letting this occasion escape.

"Please don't," the woman warned pleadingly.

"But it's true," Ogiwara teased.

"Shut up."

Ogiwara complied to his sister's order silently, his mischievous smile never leaving his face as he leaned back on the backseat.

 _This was going to be so much fun._

 **A/N: I know, I know. Bad me. That was one big twist in the story, but I'm not going to focus on this pregnancy for the time being. It will be more interesting(IMO)and appropriate, I guess, to see Akashi interact with a pregnant Shiori in the sequel. Hehe x) It's like a side thing for the moment, and yes one very important question: Will it be too rushed for me to jump to the climax(the finals) after the next chapter? Now that I've done the character building of Ogiwara, set the dynamics in the team and the tension between him and Akashi, I feel like it's about time for us to reach the climax, in fear of dragging the story too long. PM me about it, if you don't want to review! I'll be glad to know about your opinions!**

 **I hope you liked the story so far.**

 **Rates and reviews will be much appreciated~~~**


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's note: It has been a long, long, long, long, long looooong time since I last updated. I'm so sorry for the late update! I have been really busy lately, such a mess it is here. But well, I managed to scrap some time to write this chapter, though it's shorter than what I intended it to be. It was supposed to be longer, with another idea in it, but i decided to break it into two chapters instead... I was going to take more time to write the other idea in it too, but thought that it would be better to upload this part since it's already done(and I am already taking too much time).** **I could adjust them later if necessary.** **Unfortunately, I will be busy during the next couple of weeks too, I apologize for making you wait so much! :(**

 **Anyway, enjoy the reading~**

Ogiwara wanted to facepalm.

He thought that he had an arrangement done with the red heir, but apparently, Akashi Seijuro was a man of all talks and no actions. He was supposed to be free to do whatever the hell he wanted and stay away from any basketball club activities, but now the brunette was convinced. The moment the redhead approached him in the morning and told him to come meet the team in the gym after the school hours, Ogiwara was convinced that the red tyrant was up for some more mean tricks. He could almost smell the evilness and wicked scheming of the heir oozing out from his body when they exchanged those words.

Did he actually go to the gym immediately after school hours? Of course not. They were going to prepare the ultimate rainbow cake he had been anticipating for so long in the cooking club today. Ogiwara could not afford to miss that, especially not when he had a pregnant sister craving for all the sweets in the world since like forever and a future little nephew or niece to treat. He was not ashamed to admit that he was a family guy; they played a major role in his life, along with anime series, comic books, food, sleep, Jackson Wang, and well, food again. But family comes first, though he could easily trade some embarrassing moments with them for some good food. Right now, he had to learn and master that recipe for the sake of the little angel who was yet to be born in the family. Ogiwara had _priorities_ , which included no basketball clubs and no tyrannical captains.

Ogiwara was completely indulged in the recipe and all the colours involved in it. He felt like a majestic unicorn, popping open the little flasks of colouring agents and mixing the colours and essence accordingly with dough in separate bowls. Yes, he was trying to add his own personal twist to the cake my mixing different flavours with different colours. He was meticulous to the moon and back, definitely too fussy for his own good. How would he convince his taste buds to eat some red-coloured blueberry cake? His mind would be confused for days, and as a scholarship student, he could not afford that. A blue berry cake is supposed to be blue or simply left uncoloured. He was already done with the different dough and left them set in the fridge while moving on to the whipped cream. Whipped cream was a break from the usual over-attentiveness he liked to exert on his dishes. He allowed himself to go a bit messy with it as he placed the wire whisk in the missing bowl and started to fluff up the ingredients. Some splattered over his hands, and he lost no time in licking them off. Absolutely delicious. He smiled blissfully as he started to daydream about the end product.

And thus, seeing the red-haired captain talking to Maeno-sensei oh so politely made the brunette have this pressing urge to facepalm. How could he ignore the fact that Akashi Seijuro never took no as an answer? He was now looking like such a multicoloured mess from one look on his apron and smelled like a exotic cocktail after all the playing around with colours and essences. He knew that sooner rather than later, the Akashi heir would drag him out after the little 'sweet talk' he was having with the teacher in charge. Ogiwara resisted another urge, to roll his eyes this time, when he heard the teacher call him over. He turned off the wire whisk and rushed to the duo in order to get over with whatever the heir planned for him. Anyone in the room could sense the annoyance radiating off him. After all, you simply _do not mess_ with Ogiwara while he is doing his job.

"Excuse me, Maeno-sensei." The brunette did not forget his proper etiquettes despite the irritation that was ticking him off.

He sighed and followed the basketball emperor as they made their way towards the gym. Akashi was silent, and Ogiwara was glad that the snob kept his ugly boat mouth shut instead of sputtering some kind of nonsense to provoke him. He was very displeased by the fact that he got civilly dragged out of his little haven and was now approaching the lion's den. However, the brunette was aware that he was partly at fault for not making his way to the gym quietly after the majestic brat bothered to inform him about the meeting. He did not want to go there, though, not when he knew that his brother-in-law would be out for some errands that day. Hopefully, Takuo-san would already be back by now, the brunette prayed.

Ogiwara sighed in relief when he saw the tall frame of his beloved brother-in-law in the gym. At least, he would not have to face the wickedness of the Akashi heir all alone, since the whole basketball team usually turned into a mute audience when shit started getting loose between him and the captain. There was a big carton box opened in front for the head coach and his assistant, and from further inspection, Ogiwara noticed the gleeful state of Mibuchi flying around with a puffed chest. On the chest was a piece of cloth that seemed to be new and flattering to the playing team, _only_.

"Do I get a mascot costume for being the joke of the team or something?" Ogiwara mused loudly as he approached the rest, who were all more or less garnered around the box.

The face of Takuo-san and the head coach instantly soured at the joke of the brunette. Being dragged in the middle of distributing the new basketball jerseys did seem to be fishy for Ogiwara. It was more than evident that the little brunette was trying to hide his discomfort and reluctance by throwing such a joke around. Did it land? Sensing from the apparent lack of any laughter or chuckles, no. After all, since the teen voiced out very clearly that he did not want to be part of any game, being forced to join them during the distribution of the new uniforms may be slightly unnerving, and rang some alarming bells in the brunette's mind.

"You're number 10," Akashi stated.

"What?" Ogiwara was dumbfounded.

The redhead proceeded to the open box, fished out a basketball uniform and threw it in the direction of the brunette. Ogiwara, out of sheer reflex and not wanting to get slapped by the plastic wrapping around the packed clothes, grabbed the item and threw an incredulous look at the basketball emperor.

Akashi appreciated the look of disbelief that the little weakling was sporting on his face and the little silence that followed in the gym, for he was sure that the latter would be short-lived. Ogiwara was like a fuse. A little spark, like this statement of his, would be enough to blow him up. Though Akashi refused to think too much about that, he liked sparring verbally with the weakling as long as he was not being defeated, which was all the time. The tofu war ended up victoriously for him, since he did get his tofu during lunch hours. He recalled the satisfaction of watching the brunette break down in front of him in the gym that time when he announced him of his club transfer. Ogiwara did the unthinkable act of defying his simple order during the summer camp, and this further encouraged him to throw that uniform on his face. Akashi was not that petty to shove the little lamb on the sacrificial ground of a basketball court just for some revenge schemes. Getting Ogiwara as a player was part of his master plan, but surely, he was savouring that moment much more since he was subjected to the little weakling's act of open defiance.

"Is that for me?" Ogiwara's mind did not want to digest the shit that was being thrown at him. The nod that he received as a response made him roll his eyes. This time, it was a certain Akashi Seijuro who got _the look_ from him.

Pursued lips, raised eyebrows and narrowed eyes; Ogiwara was serving his bitch face.

"Please clarify me," Ogiwara started, and Akashi internally braced himself for the spear that would be thrown at him.

"In what sense do I look like a basketball player to you?" Ogiwara articulated slowly, as if he was talking to some dumb person.

"No, scratch that. In what sense," Ogiwara made sure to point at his multicoloured apron clutching tightly around his tiny waist, and flashed his non-existent arm muscles before setting both his hands on his waist, packed uniform already kissing the floor at his feet, "do I look like an athlete to you?" He continued articulating, making sure that the captain was getting his already obvious point.

"You are an official member of the first string of the basketball club, you deserve that uniform," Akashi reasoned. Everyone in the first string had their number and uniform.

Ogiwara snorted in derision. Did that snob just say _deserved_? _My, Oh my..._

"So much I get for cooking you food you did not even like. You are one generous captain," Ogiwara exclaimed with his plastic smile and fake cheerfulness. The sarcasm that was laced in the brunette's behaviour made Takuo proud. This was his wife's personality manifesting in the little brother, and the elder male was sure that this was just the beginning.

Dropping the fakeness away, Ogiwara deadpanned. "Oh please, tell me more."

"I thought that we made a _compromise_ ," Ogiwara made sure to use the exact same word that the heir used with the head coach to get him in the club.

"I agreed to join the club as long as I did not have to play," the brunette reminded. Before proceeding with his words, he quickly turned towards the two teachers in the complex and sent a quick apology for the language that he was going to use.

"Then why _the fuck_ do I get a uniform?" the brunette spat.

"Because you are a _cherished_ member of our team, Shigehiro." Akashi was feasting on the anger of the weakling.

"Oh please," Ogiwara said derisively, now that he knew Akashi would not be willing to take that uniform back at any time, "I'd rather wear a mascot costume. A red devil with big horns and pointy, pointy teeth will be more than fine. After all, it doesn't hurt to base the mascot on our cherished captain right?"

"Why don't you play with the team instead? This sounds more fun that walking around in a costume," Akashi taunted the brunette with what usually hit his nerves the most. He wanted to make the weakling tremble in rage and fear at the mention of a game.

"You think it will fun? Please," Ogiwara emphasized on the plea as he raised his little finger in disapproval. "I beg to differ. Your winning policies creep me out."

"I refuse to play in any game unless I wish to do so, and you can't change that," the brunette fumed. His rage flared up at the mention of playing in a game. He had no intentions of getting his right of freedom robbed by some tyrannical redhead.

"You are going to take that uniform and wear it when I tell you to do so," Akashi ordered.

"I am not going to play," Ogiwara reiterated, this time with way more seriousness to get his point across.

"Of course. Your level is far too low to be able to match up with our prodigal abilities," Akashi confirmed.

"So this means that I'm not going to play?" Ogiwara was unsure of what he heard. He did not mind of any backhanded insult as long as he was not getting dragged on the court unwillingly. The nod of the basketball captain sent a wave a relief through his body.

"Why do I even get to have a basketball uniform if I'm not playing?" Ogiwara was even more confused.

"You're going to be a benched member of the team," Akashi replied.

"Am I going to be assessed on face value only?" Ogiwara asked again.

"Good thing that you understood that quickly," the redhead confirmed.

"Well then, fuck you," Ogiwara spat.

Akashi's eyes widened slightly at the sudden change of tone of the brunette's. He was kind of surprised to see him retaliating even after knowing that he did not have to play, but he quickly regained his poker face after getting over the initial surprise. He could always count of the little weakling for some unexpected turns of event.

"You can take the uniform back and give it to someone who _deserves_ it more than me. There are students who are sweating blood for that uniform. I cannot accept it so easily with those people in mind," Ogiwara picked up the uniform and approached the redhead to give it back to him.

"You do not have a choice," Akashi refused to take back the jersey.

"I refuse to be a benched member of the team then. Will you please take it back now?" Ogiwara was slowly losing his patience.

"You are a benched member of the team, and you are going to wear that jersey when I tell you to do so," Akashi stated.

"No," Ogiwara refused adamantly. "I am not taking that uniform."

"You are," Akashi said coldly.

"I am not. It will be easier for you to me play, _against my will_ , by getting me into this jersey," Ogiwara reasoned back.

"Shigehiro," Akashi started, grabbing the said guy's attention, "You are right." The heir nodded in approval and smirked.

The redhead rejoiced on the annoyance that spread instantly on the weakling's face. He indeed could get Ogiwara on the court if he were to be a benched member during a match, but Seijuro was no fool. He was not going to get that little lamb on the court just to make him piss in his pants, though the idea seemed to be quite tempting at times, especially when Shigehiro annoyed him to no extent. He simply needed to wave his pathetic little face in front of Kuroko at the right moment and watch the reactions unfold during their game play.

"But I'm not going to make you play," the heir concluded.

"Why should I trust you on that?" Ogiwara demanded sceptically.

"You have no other choice," Akashi deadpanned, before turning around and making his way to the mute audience. He was done with this talk, and was not going to take anything back.

Ogiwara gritted his teeth. He was beyond frustrated, and the red devil always found a way to ultimately piss him off. Knowing that there was no way out of this mess now, he had to get the final word, and following his short temper, he spoke his mind.

"If you sub me in during a match, Seijuro, I swear I will come on court and slap you," Ogiwara warned the redhead, and was glad that he got no response after. Akashi could only roll his eyes at the blank threat.

Ogiwara threw a quick glance around and appreciated the view of the whole team. Takuo-san looked like a proud dad fighting the urge to smile. Mibuchi and Hayama were staring wide-eyed at him, probably too shocked by the fluency with which he warned the red tyrant. Nebuya, on the other hand, was looking at him in silent admiration, making Ogiwara glad that he threw such a warning at the redhead in front of everyone. They must all learn that he was not someone to be messing with, for he had the amazing guts to confront the red devil of the team. Feeling a bit heroic, he threw the basketball jersey in the hands of his brother-in-law and proceeded to leave.

"You decide how to explain this to Shiori-nii," Ogiwara made his way back, shrugging at the load groan of disapproval that the elder male let out. _This was not going to be easy._

It would not be an easy task to explain all of this to his pregnant sister. With the hormones in rage and the violent mood swings of the expecting lady, the two males of the house would have to brace themselves for the worst. At least, the rainbow cake he was preparing could be used to diffuse any tense moment.

 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed the reading! The next chapter is going to be related to this particular event. I may take this chapter down and re upload it with the 'next chapter'(idea) in this one itself. I'll put it in the author's note in case I do so! Thank you so much for reading my story so far!**

 **Rates and reviews will be much appreciated~**


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note: Hello everyone~ I decided to post this as a new chapter since it is long enough, but it is also kind of the continuation of the last one so... :X And I also worked on the character of Akashi a bit more in this one. I hope that he's not too OOC (my fujoshi self is trying to surface here xS ), let me know if possible! Anyway, enjoy the reading!~**

The very next day, Ogiwara found himself in the gym at the same time the whole confrontation occurred previously. Packed uniform in hand, he hummed happily as he approached the basketball emperor. He was done with the cooking club activities for the day, and had this amazing excuse which he could use to throw the uniform back on the captain's face. His sister dowright refused to live in a house that contained such an ominous thing from an ominous being. Akashi Seijuro was a taboo subject in the Takuo and Ogiwara household, and so were his stuffs considered as. If the heir still refused to take that piece of clothing back, the brunette was ready to go into explicit details of what happened at home yesterday to convince him otherwise.

"I'm returning you this piece of clothing," Ogiwara said a bit too cheerfully as soon as he faced the redhead.

"I cannot take that back," the heir refused.

"I certainly cannot take that back at home too," Ogiwara continued. He did not have the right, nor the guts to take that uniform back home today. His sister would chop him off and feed him to the sharks if he returned home with that jersey in his bag. They somehow managed to avoid the big drama yesterday by quickly complying to her words and Ogiwara had to make sure that no drama would arise today.

"I don't care. That jersey is yours, and you are going to keep it," Akashi concluded. He did not really have the time and patience to deal with a way too cheerful Ogiwara right now.

"Akashi- _sama_ ," Ogiwara started, making the redhead frown inwardly at the sudden show of respect from the weakling who so openly despised him.

"Have you ever lived with a pregnant lady?" Ogiwara asked carefully. Seeing the slightly annoyed and confused look that settled on the redhead's face, he answered his own question.

"No? Then, you need to _shut your mouth_ ," Ogiwara started, getting slower with emphasis as he said the last couple of words. _It's show time_.

He grabbed the attention of everyone in the gym with his statement, as usual. Mibuchi and Hayama were kind of getting used to it now, and the adoration was still evident in Nebuya's eyes as he peeked and eavesdropped at the conversation. The head coach sighed and turned away. He was pretty much aware of how these kinds of argument could end up, and he wanted to be no part of it even if it could be pretty entertaining at times. Shirogane-sensei left his assistant to mediate in the incoming confrontation, much to the latter's pleasure. Takuo was already on his toes, ready to jump in and support Shigehiro whenever there was a call of help.

"You know nothing about the naggings of a pregnant sibling," Ogiwara sighed in a bittersweet manner as he addressed to the captain. He was totally sure about his statement and he was going to make the most out of the ignorance of the red tyrant over this particular matter.

"I do know, however, that this is no reason for you to refuse your uniform," Akashi spat coldly.

He was slightly irritated over the fact that he did not consider the condition of the brunette's sister when he made his move, but he was not someone to take no as an answer. Even if it soon turned out to be a losing battle, Seijuro would keep on fighting till victory took his side. He had to get the weakling into the uniform in the nearing future, and for this to occur, the weakling should in turn accept its possession over that piece of cloth.

"I cannot take this back. My sister's warnings are still ringing clear in my mind," Ogiwara shook his head while talking, still looking s bit overjoyed in the opinion of the little crowd around.

" _My, my_... Are you feeling threatened by the words of a pregnant lady?" Akashi mused mockingly. Nothing works better than to target the ego of a man.

"I am concerned about my sister and her unborn child's wellbeing," Ogiwara reasoned, trying his best to keep his calm, which he could feel was slipping at an alarmingly fast rate. The redhead sure was one dumb idiot to try to target his ego on that matter. It was like missing the sun for the pointing finger.

"And her being stressed because of my involvement with this damn club, _courtesy of you and your bloody tantrums_ , is what I want to avoid," he explained, with a sudden boast of energy and adrenaline pumping in him.

His family was his abode, and the red tyrant managed to struck a nerve in his own little twisted ways with that shallow statement. His sister sure might be crude and unforgiving with her choice of words and tones, but her concern was evident and Ogiwara did not want her to worry about him, especially not in that condition. The thought of Shiori managed to calm the brunette slightly. His family always had this soothing effect on him.

"You sure must be the only, spoiled brat of your parents for you to come up with such a shallow reasoning. Siblings show their love and care for each other in various ways," Ogiwara ended fondly, as he recalled of the relationship he shared with his sister.

Akashi, for the first time since all his little, pointless confrontations with the weakling, felt his anger flare up in a dangerous way. He physically struggled to keep his indifferent facade on, but he could feel his eyes lighting up at the words of the brunette. Ogiwara was indeed right in a sense. He was an only child, being raised by wolves and still managed to remain alive. He was deprived of a sibling's love because of a reason that he deemed unimportant to recall right now, but all these things did not matter. His words were absolute, truth lacing in every of his paroles and actions. He did not need any sibling or family by his side to prove this.

"For a start, my personal affairs should be of no concern to you," the red heir snapped. "And you are going to keep that jersey. You will need it," he continued.

Ogiwara felt a cold chill run down his spine as he listened to the words of the basketball emperor. He was convinced that he managed to shake the red devil a bit, and was now a bit petrified of the idea of facing the consequences. It was futile to pick a fight with Akashi in that state, for the brunette learned the consequences of such a bold act in the hardest way possible. He did not want to go climb the hills under a scorching sun again. The brunette decided to change tactics.

"I cannot keep it at home!" Ogiwara said desperately.

Before the captain got to refuse him again, he took a melodramatic stance as a last resort and went into full whine-and-rant mode about what happened at home yesterday.

"Do you know what my sister did with this yesterday?" Ogiwara asked dramatically while lifting the packed clothing in his hand.

Akashi braced himself for the long, detailed story that was awaiting him. With the current stance of Ogiwara, he was sure that the weakling was full-on panicking and doing his best to get rid of the uniform, away from his home. Akashi already had the solution to Ogiwara's issue, but he was not going to spoon-feed him like some mother bird. Despite his initial reluctance to deal with the whole mess that usually came with Shigehiro, Akashi found himself slightly eager to listen to the story that the brunette would come up with in order to save himself. This kind of desperate attempts were kind of amusing to the Akashi heir.

"Let alone touch, she refused to approach that thing. She poked the broom stick into the plastic packaging and swung the whole thing out through the window. Look at the hole she made," Ogiwara whined while pointing exaggeratedly at the hole.

"It's not even round, looking like the map of Japan from her poor attempt of poking it with a blunt thing." Ogiwara took a breath to stop his rambles bubbling out and carried on.

"My sister is pretty serious with this whole 'healthy environment, healthy pregnancy' thing. She even brought a pregnancy book that is raising hell at home for the men," Ogiwara continued, with his brother-in-law quickly seconding his facts.

"And well, needless to mention that your existence, my _dear,_ is blacklisted in our cosy little home. She considers your belongings or in this case, your imposed reward to be evil and ominous, _just like your soul_ ," Ogiwara muttered the last part under his breath, unable to keep that very accurate thought in his mind.

Akashi Seijuro's senses were not to be underestimated. He did indeed catch the last part of the little weakling's sentence, and was not bothered at all, to be completely honest. He was more than satisfied to know that he was hated by the weak, for it only confirmed the fact that they were all inferior to him and obviously jealous.

"Where you choose to keep it does not concern me, as long as it's in your possession," Akashi clarified, introducing a point of conciliation ahead.

"So I can keep it anywhere, as long as it's with me when you ask for it?" Ogiwara needed to make sure.

" I guess that would be correct," Akashi smirked while replying. He was finally sure that the weakling was going to keep that uniform, be it at home or under a graveyard for all he cared. When the right time came, the brunette would better come meet him with that jersey.

Ogiwara was more than relieved. One item less in the house to stress his precious sister. He wanted to thank the heir earnestly for giving him the ingenious idea of shoving that damned basketball uniform anywhere else except in his own house. He felt a little bit dumb for not considering this course of action before attempting to get rid of that jersey from his hands but at least this could work. As the saying goes by, 'out of sight, out of mind'. The Takuo household would be much calmer without that piece of clothing.

He was on the verge of thanking the heir from the depth of his heart when realisation struck him, as hard as a lighting on his head. That damn brat could have told him so in the beginning itself instead of taunting him about his pregnant sister and all. Akashi Seijuro, king of all snobs in this country, actually dared to drive him, his saintly poor self, to the edges. Ogiwara was _offended_ , and that slightly smug look on the snob's face was not helping him either.

That smirk of Akashi annoyed the hell out of Ogiwara. He still was not completely sure what the heir wanted with him by shoving that jersey on him, but that little smirk on the red tyrant's face indicated that Akashi got what he wanted after all the arguing. Sure, he also managed to get rid of that jersey from his home and all, but that victory grin on the captain's face made him feel like he had a loss, and he, being the loud mouth of the two, was not going to keep quiet about it. Ogiwara felt his sarcastic side switching up as he registered the words and that particular facial expression of the Akashi heir.

"Thank you," the brunette said, eyes widening in apparently fake relief as he stared right into the captain.

"Thank you for this _useful_ piece of cloth you gave me," he continued, sounding so truthful though his words were an obvious contradiction to what he felt. The whole audience could feel _it._ The sass and sarcasm in the next words of the little brunette. They all went completely silent in anticipation.

"Finally something that I can fucking use, cause I can take that uniform and wipe my ass with it," Ogiwara shouted the last part, making sure that the redhead understood how he felt when he was handed that jersey.

The whole group behind Akashi broke down in a round of perfectly mute laughter, a common occurrence whenever the little brunette and their captain argued. They were so desperate in their attempt to stay silent but the way their bodies shook so vigorously could only mean that the joke was on their tyrannical captain, much to Ogiwara's pleasure.

Akashi was speechless. The weakling's choice of words and bloody bold attitude even in defeat kind of amazed him. The feelings of getting defeated was surely an alien one to him, for he never had to face such a pathetic thing in his life, but the heir could guess that it could be pretty frustrating in the case of the short brunette in front of him. Ogiwara's little obsession with having the final word was no new thing to the redhead. Seijuro could fairly assume that the weakling found some kind of solace in being the last one to talk, and the heir did not really mind it as long as his victory was clear. Those last words, though, Akashi was surprised. No inferior being dared to talk to him like that. Ogiwara was an exceptional case, for the red heir was convinced that even at a loss the brunette would try to throw some shade on him, _all in vain_.

The pin drop silence met its end by the chuckles of a certain someone. Everyone's attention turned to its source, a particular person behind Ogiwara. Takuo was having a very hard time suppressing his own laughter for he too was facing the redhead along with Ogiwara, and thus tiny, obvious chuckles erupted behind the hand that he placed in front of his mouth. He could always count on the Ogiwara bloodline to make such bold, scandalous statements during their arguments. That sarcasm of Shigehiro was so uncannily similar to his wife, and the teacher found that absolutely hilarious. He could not wait to go home and narrate the whole thing to his wife, revised and edited with an alternate ending to please the lady.

Akashi knew that it would be completely futile to reply the weakling. He sighed and turned around, dispelling the little group back to the practise routine. Ogiwara walked to his brother-in-law, who was still laughing quietly about the ending part of their confrontation. He grinned at the elder male and handed him the famous basketball jersey. The teacher got a bit confused at this.

"You are not going to keep this in your locker here?" Takuo questioned.

"I got three aprons, a bunch of new takeaway boxes, my own favourite spatula, a 1500-paged recipe book, school books, shoes, and a whole other bunch of things stuffed in that tiny little case," Ogiwara reasoned.

"I don't want such a useless piece of material to occupy my precious, limited space in there," he ended.

"Fine. We can keep it in the P.E office itself. I'll ask the head coach to make a place for it in the cupboard," the elder male agreed.

As they marched towards the office, Kotarou ran to them to clarify one little thing.

"Ogiwara-kun!" the small power forward exclaimed.

"Did you try on the uniform?" he enquired. Being the one who had had to adjust his uniform a couple of times, the blond could only assume that it would not be easy for someone of Ogiwara's size to get the perfect fit on the first try.

"I guess it would not hurt to try it on, since your captain is so eager to see me in it," Ogiwara shrugged as he headed towards the locker room.

Ogiwara did not have such a good, heartfelt laugh since a long time. He sure smiled a lot and roared in laughter at every joke, lame or not, being thrown around, but that kind of laugh that he was having right now was on a whole new level. It was a satisfying laugh, a laugh that made his heart swell in delight. He would need to thank Kotarou later, he noted. Trying on the basketball jersey had been one spiritually enlightening experience to him.

He tried so freaking hard to get rid of a piece of cloth that was way too large and hella inappropriate for him to wear in public.

Ogiwara was laughing at his own stupid self, yet was elated to find the jersey dangling on him. How stupid of him to engage in a verbal spar with the devil incarnated without even checking the facts. He would not even have to try now; the captain would be compelled to take the uniform back after seeing him like that. His collarbones were barely hidden, for the neck hole was really wide. If he had boobs, he would be giving one hell of a cleavage show with such a large neck hole. The sleeveless jersey seemed to grow some raglan sleeves as it covered his shoulder caps instead of the collarbones. Those arm holes were really big, and his thin arms and short stature did not make things any better. The rest of the shirt was practically dangling around, and the probability of a nip slip was really high. Thank god the trucks had drawstrings. Ogiwara was amazed by his own self. He actually managed to look downright vulgar in a basketball uniform. _Damn, such a sexy fox I am_. The brunette showered himself with praises in his little moment of self-appreciation.

To make things even more interesting, he decided to step out from the locker room and parade in the gym with those daring clothes.

"Minaaaaa-san," he exclaimed as soon as he got out. "Presenting to you your sexy mascot!"

All balls were instantly dropped, along with the jaws of some players. Takuo face-palmed. Nebuya turned his head away in embarrassment. The black-haired shooter was ogling at the sight with wide eyes and a widely opened mouth, and for the first time, Hayama laughed confusedly, all slow and fragmented. Akashi wanted to roll his eyes at this little detail he missed. He overestimated the petite stature of Ogiwara, and forgot that even a sportswear's small size could be big at times. His eyes were forced to see the consequences now. Ogiwara looked like an underdeveloped teen girl wearing her boyfriend's clothes. He might as well put a wig on his head to complete the look. This was all too ridiculous. The heir had to put an end to this sultry display of the little brunette.

"Give it back to me," he forced out his mouth as he approached Ogiwara. This was painful and awkward, having to ask for something that he adamantly refused previously.

"Noooooooo!" Ogiwara protested dramatically. He was enjoying this scene a bit too much. The displeasure of the red devil was fulfilling.

"Let me keep this useful piece of clothing you gave me," he continued with the teasing, victorious grin shining on his face.

"Fine," the redhead deadpanned as he started to turn around.

"Wait, wait. Sheesh, I was joking. Was my acting that bad?" Ogiwara said hastily and frowned.

"Take it away from me, and please don't give it back to me either. Give it to Takuo-san instead. I don't have time for all this petty things. I got a pregnant sister to take care of, goddamn it," the shorter teen rambled on while walking back to the locker room for a very satisfying change of clothes.

He finally managed to get his hands away from that damned jersey, although not for forever. He would still have to get it on him when the tyrannical captain decided so. Ogiwara frowned as he reflected over a few things in his remaining free time. He was actually getting an idea on what the Akashi heir might be reserving him for. He was being dragged into the team because of his face, and yet was being forced to sit on the benches for some particular matches. This idea was fishy, just like the winning policies of the basketball emperor. There was only one person who could potentially be affected on seeing his face, and Ogiwara was not even sure if he was ready to face that person yet. But the brunette was not taking any risks. There was one important thing on which he had to catch up now, and Takuo-san seemed to be the best person who could enlighten him on that.

"Please, tell me all you know about Testuya."

 **A/N: We're pretty much near the climax now... and I might take some more time with the writing in order to make sure that everything is clearly portrayed and well set, so I'm apologizing in advance! I'm still working and busy af but I will find some time to properly work on this story because this is important to me, and hopefully to y'all too! ^^' The story is nearing its end, and it kinda makes me have this bitter-sweet feeling :') Anyway, thank you for reading the story so far! I hope you liked it :)**

 **Rates and reviews will be much appreciated~**


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's note: Hello, hello, hello! I'm so sorry, my updates are getting slower :( This is the beginning of a new 'arc', y'could say... I had to get the setting right, and I'm even re-watching the episodes to make sure that the order is right.. I'm sorry for taking so much time :( Anyway, it's a bit more narrative, and maybe the next chapter will rely on some narration too, please bear with it :( And also, as time passed by, Ogiwara is getting braver with Akashi in his own little ways. I hope I managed to portray that right without getting any of them too OOC so far!  
Enjoy the reading~**

He was having a déjà-vu moment. The moment the little brunette got in the train compartment, he realised that it was not the first time he was having this moment. The only place available in their compartment was next to Nebuya. Ogiwara could swear that the redhead set the whole thing up to be like this. That one time he was forced to travel with them, he had a hard time dealing with the muscle-mania in the bus, but this time they both knew that it would not be the same. _We are friends now_ , the little brunette thought haughtily, lifting his nose as he passed next to the redhead. This seating arrangement would not be a problem anymore. In fact, he could bet on the sweetness of his chocolate profiteroles that the oversized teen secretly admired him for daring to talk back to their tyrannical captain. This was something that not everyone could easily achieve.

"Let's have a nice ride," the tanned teen wished as Ogiwara took the seat next to him.

"Sure," the brunette complied happily.

This was already starting off well. They were all seated in pairs, however, each pair was facing another pair instead of having their backs. Nebuya and Ogiwara were facing an enthusiastic Reo and the phantom player of the team. Watching those two sitting next to each other could be amusing, for their characters were a complete contrast of each other, but the little brunette had other stuffs to worry about. After all, the whole team was heading to Tokyo for the second round of the Winter Cup.

Ogiwara would be lying if he said that he was not tempted to slap a refusal instantly on the order of the Akashi heir to come along for the second round. It all happened so quickly, and the ease with which the heir threatened his position as a scholarship student on the basis of his extracurricular activities got his tongue tied. The brunette was beyond frustrated at first, but the whole ordeal was not unexpected. He had being bracing himself for the worst since he received that stupid basketball jersey. Ogiwara Shigehiro was no fool; he had a pretty consistent idea on what the red devil was planning for him, and he could fairly assume that he would not be required to get in that jersey for some more time. Ogiwara decided to leave all the stress and dread for the time when he would be finally wearing that jersey.

His sister was another major reason for him to resist against the sudden order of Akashi. Both him and his brother-in-law would be off with the team, and it was unfathomable for the brunette to leave his now four months pregnant sister alone in such a big city. As expected, the Akashi brat gave no fucks about his personal situation. He was blatantly told to deal with it. The ride back home that day had been a nerve-wrecking one. They both decided to come clear with the whole thing, and as a result, her sister sent him off with a pair of boxing gloves in his bag and a loud cheer of support in case the tyrannical captain did something unforgivable to him. Of course he was not going to use that, Ogiwara shrugged. He was already struggling to maintain that full scholarship for the following years. At least her sister took the sane decision to go crash at their parents' place during their absence. The oldies were more than happy to pamper their girl.

There was another little, itching thought that was worrying the little brunette. Seirin would be there, but Ogiwara decided to worry about that later if the time to worry even came. He inwardly knew that he would not be summoned directly on the first day, that is if the heir wanted to preserve his face. Akashi already made it clear that he would be here only for face value, and so he prayed earnestly for the redhead to stick to his words. On second thoughts, he would be more than willing and happy to use that pair of boxing gloves on the basketball emperor if he subbed him in during a match.

The brunette brought some school work and lots of money that her sister gave him for baby shopping during his free time. After all, Tokyo was the destination for shopping. He felt his heart flutter as he thought of all those shop awaiting his blessed visits. Even though he got dragged into this trip, he was going to make the most out of it by roaming in Tokyo. Ogiwara already had a mini bucket list prepared for his one-week stay here. No red devil would get into his way, hopefully. Ogiwara shrugged again at his wish. Would Akashi leave him alone now that he forced him into this?

"Are you alright, Shige-chan?" Reo mused, following the shrugs of the smaller teen.

"Yeah," Ogiwara sighed in reply.

"Why am I even here in the first place?," he thought out loud, not really expecting an answer.

"It will be fine," the black-haired shooter tried comforting him. _Ogiwara could only wish._

Ogiwara was too stunned to talk. And tired too, but right now, he was stunned. They had finally arrived at the place where they would be staying in Tokyo, and out of all the places, their captain chose to hoard the whole team into his own house. The Akashi Mansion. The whole team seemed fazed at the size of the building. This was no shit; Akashi Seijuro was one filthy rich brat. How dare that captain flaunt his wealthy assets on their poor faces?

Ogiwara wanted to burn the whole place down, but it was too majestic to end up in flames.

That place was gigantic; probably the biggest mansion in which Ogiwara had set his foot in. It was modern, and yet had a little touch of the Japanese feels like the bamboo water fountain he spotted in the garden. The inside was surprisingly minimalist, yet screamed of sophistication and richness. The smell of new leather was thick in the air. Ogiwara felt a bit lightheaded as he followed the group and the house's butler. Hopefully, he would get his own room this time. He did not mind sharing the room with someone else, but hey, he liked his privacy, thank you very much.

Just like he secretly anticipated, the little brunette was led to his own room by the butler. Akashi went into the room on the other side of the corridor. Why would the red devil allocate him in a room just in front of his own? Food for thoughts. Ogiwara sighed carelessly as he sat on the bed to test the softness. It would be just fine. The room was nice, nothing less than he expected from the snob's home. His bags were dropped in a corner. He was tempted to go for a quick nap but he felt hungry. Now that he was just in front of the resting place of the devil incarnated, Ogiwara was inclined to go bother him on every little occasion. Naturally, he went out and knocked on the redhead's door.

"I'm hungry," he stated as soon as Akashi opened the door.

"The butler made it clear that dinner will be served at half past seven. Deal with it," the redhead replied back, tiredness evident on his face as he started to close the door.

"What a pleasurable way to treat your guest," Ogiwara commented sarcastically.

"Go fend yourself," the redhead deadpanned as he slammed the door shut on Ogiwara's face.

 _Knock. Knock. Knock._ "Akashi- _sama_?" Ogiwara repeated the whole thing for a solid five minutes until the butler found him.

 _Score._ Ogiwara managed to irritate the snob to the point where he had to call his butler for help. Ogiwara felt his hunger reside down slightly at this great feat. He was already full of happiness and took pride in his task of annoying the rich brat. It hadn't even been one hour since they reached here, and he already managed to tick the red heir off. This was already a good start. Ogiwara felt awesome and could not help grinning at the butler as he was led to the kitchen area.

If Ogiwara thought that the mansion was majestic, then the kitchen area was definitely heavenly. Such a level of spotlessness, he had only seen on television. The place was big enough to prepare a feast for the whole locality and everything was clean and shiny. The kitchen of the little mountain inn would be a joke compared to this. The Akashi family indeed took things to a whole new level. He wanted to kiss every piece of utensil his eyes fell on. They looked so good and ready for use but he had to resist this urge for the sake of the people already working in there. It would be such an unsightly thing to witness. Too uncool for him. A group of chefs were already working on the dinner course since it was already six o'clock. Ogiwara thanked the butler for his guidance and introduced himself to the little group. He had no intentions of joining them to prepare the meal for everyone, but he needed to get along with them for the sake of good food and well, they seemed to be good people unlike the little brat they had as their little master.

"Hello!" he started his greeting to catch their attention. "I'm Ogiwara Shigehiro, pleased to meet you." He formed his signature grin as they greeted him back.

"I'm the assistant head chef, Suzuki. How can we help you?" a middle aged lady asked politely.

"Oh please, do not bother yourself with me! Concentrate on your work, there's already lots of people to feed today. I'll whip a quick meal for me. I just need a little corner to do it," Ogiwara replied hastily, a slight blush forming on his face as he registered everyone's surprised look.

The assistant head chef looked a bit hesitant as she peered behind her, as if looking for the opinion of others. They all seemed doubtful, and Ogiwara's brain quickly snapped to work as he realised the reason behind.

"I can cook!" he blurted out quickly.

"The sno- I mean, Akashi dragged me to the summer camp to prepare lunch for the team," Ogiwara started and noted the butler's eyes widening in some kind of recognition.

"I'm kind of an outlier. I don't fit in the whole group properly since I don't play basketball, though I'm part of the team, which is really weird. But I can make good food! Though I don't really want to cook for that little tyrant again..." and there he went on a ramble. If there was one thing that the brunette could do effortlessly, that would be talking on his own.

" You must be aware of his thing for tofu. I refused to feed him tofu and he made me climb a mountain to get revenge, would you believe this? Does this tofu obsession run in the whole family?" Ogiwara shrugged as he wondered out loudly.

"Really?!" A young boy, maybe an apprentice chef, blurted out as he looked at Ogiwara impressively.

 _Seijuro-hater spotted_. Ogiwara made a mental note to befriend that guy later on. Before the brunette got to reply, Suzuki glared at the young boy from the corner of her eyes and spoke.

"You talk a lot," the lady stated with a tight smile.

"I get told that very often," Ogiwara admitted while grinning sheepishly. The lady smiled back.

"You can use this part of the kitchen," she warmed up as she led Ogiwara away in an unused corner.

"What are you planning to make?" she continued probing.

"Oh, I was thinking of making some miso ramen, since it's quick and filling," Ogiwara replied instantly.

"Great, I'll get you the ingredients," Suzuki said as she ordered someone to bring the necessary stuffs for the little teen.

"Thank you so much," Ogiwara expressed his gratitude earnestly. "I won't trouble you any further," he smiled and got to work.

Talking so much made him even more hungry, and the fresh supply of ramen he got made his mouth water. He got totally engrossed in preparing his food. After working on the egg and the ramen noodles, he carried on with the toppings and meticulously, yet quickly sliced the mushroom, bamboo shoots, veggies and meat. He also washed some bean sprouts to add later. He got some nice chicken broth ready from one of the chefs, and thus lost no time in mixing in the instant dashi and soy sauce while boiling the mixture. As soon as it became warm enough, he added a good spoonful of white miso in it to finish the soup. It was exactly the right amount for one serving, bless his meticulous habit. Ogiwara poured the soup in the bowl containing the noodles and egg and decorated his whole wonderful-smelling masterpiece with the toppings he prepared. As soon as he finished setting his meal, he clapped his hands in approval and placed the food carefully on the free table. He still had to clean the little mess he made before digging in.

"Absolutely fantastic."

Someone read his thought out aloud as the little teen swiped the last corner clean. Ogiwara turned around instantly to see the owner of that loud voice. A big man was observing his smoking hot ramen, and from the looks of it, he was an old chef.

"You even cut the toppings uniformly. That must have taken up a lot of time," the man noted.

"I got this ready in..." Ogiwara threw a glance at the clock to see the time. He started working on his dish at around quarter past six so, "twenty minutes." Ogiwara sure was fussy as hell, but he could be fast when he needed. He did not even know why he corrected that man right now.

"I'm impressed. Are you a new recruit? I'm your head chef, Makio," the man introduced himself.

"No! I'm just staying over for a few days. I'm Ogiwara Shigehiro, pleased to meet you, Makio-sama," Ogiwara bowed slightly as he introduced himself.

"He's the guy that the young master brought along to prepare his lunch for the summer camp," one of the chefs around filled in.

"Akashi- _bocchan_ indeed has sharp eyes," the head chef approved.

Ogiwara rolled his eyes while snorting, and immediately excused himself. Praises of the red devil always caused this kind of exasperated reactions from him.

"If Akashi really had sharp eyes, I would have been enjoying my time in the cooking club instead of being dragged in the basketball team," Ogiwara spoke honestly and sighed.

"Do you play basketball?" Makio-sama enquired.

"No," the brunette deadpanned without batting an eyelid.

"What a shame," the head chef shrugged.

"Indeed," Ogiwara confirmed.

At least someone else in the Akashi household could understand his poor plight. Ogiwara started digging in his quick meal and hummed in approval all along the way. His food was _the_ deal. The eggs were boiled to perfection and the smell of the warm soup was enough to make his mouth water. Each bite made him relish in delight. This was one pleasurable meal that the Akashi heir would not be able to have, and that thought was enough to double his pleasure. The old chef could not resist the temptation and had a taste of the brunette's creation. Ogiwara received his usual dose of compliments if not in excess, and some tips to improve his cuisine. He could almost swear that the head chef was trying to lure him in this job, but it just would not happen. He was not going to serve that little snob, no matter how much money the brat waved in front of his face. The trip to the kitchen had been a fruitful one, and Ogiwara was satisfied. He only needed a good bath and sleep now. He was happy to be able to eat his food in all privacy, away from a pair of heterochromatic eyes that would have been present on the dining table.

It was already ten past seven by the time he finished his meal. He was full, and overly happy for the good food that he got to savour. He slowly made his way to his room, which was quite a distance from the kitchen area. It was now time for a nice, warm bath. Ogiwara unpacked one of his bags and took out a clean outfit to wear as he headed to his en-suite bathroom. The moment he turned the shower faucet, it broke.

 _It broke?_ Ogiwara resisted to laugh out loud and run next door. This whole majestic show of richness in the building ultimately had some flaws hidden in the depth of their rooms. He could totally see himself waving that broken faucet in front of the redhead's face and singing about how the bathroom utilities were shit, just like his damned soul but he decided to stay quiet about it. He quickly figured out another way to proceed with his marvellous plan of annoying the Akashi heir. If he was not getting a good shower in his own bathroom, he'd better be hitting on the best one around. The best bathroom would indeed be that of the heir itself. Ogiwara did not even think twice as he grabbed his clothing and knocked on his infamous neighbour's door.

"What do you want now?" Akashi shot as soon as he opened the door. The little brunette was starting to prick on his nerves.

"The faucet is broken. I need to shower," Ogiwara stated.

"Go ask the butler to do the necessary. It's almost time for dinner," Akashi was on the verge of closing the door when Ogiwara forced himself in.

"I'm using your shower," the brunette declared fearlessly.

"Get out of my room." Akashi did not like random people intruding his personal space. Even a selected number of servants could get into his room to clean.

"Not before showering," Ogiwara persisted.

"Are you going to listen to me?" Akashi was starting to lose his patience.

"You 're not going to behave like some rich snob and threaten my position as a scholarship student or force me to play in a match just because of a goddamn shower, right? That would be so cheap and narrow-minded for some ingenious heir like you" Ogiwara mused, hitting it right on the spot.

Akashi would be lying if he said that he did not feel anything when the little weakling described him like that. He was usually a ' _horrible, egoistic, brat', 'filthy, little liar', 'wicked witch of Kyoto', 'immature, troublesome, snobby heir'_ and so on. The list could go on and on and on, since that little weakling never fell short in words to throw the shade on him. Getting promoted from those nicknames to that of an ingenious heir was slightly boastful. The little brunette managed to caress the gigantic ego of the redhead. Seijuro was amused, but pleased and thus decided to resort to some other means rather than threats to drive away the weakling from his bathroom.

"Why can't you use some other shower instead?" Akashi reasoned.

"You probably have the most fancy one in here and oh yeah," Ogiwara replied.

"I need to annoy the shit out of you too," the brunette reminded him, plastic-smile game on point.

"Whatever," Akashi let out. He had no time to waste since dinner will be served in a couple of minutes. "Do not touch my things," he warned seriously before heading out.

"Ayyye Ayyye, captain," Ogiwara grinned back at the retreating figure of the redhead.

The brunette turned back in the room and closed the door. He was finally alone the palace of the devil incarnated. He observed the place quietly, searching for the most valuable thing he could touch or move around just to annoy the captain. Of course, he was no fool to go break things around. He probably would not be able to afford paying back if he broke the tiniest little things here. It was a master bedroom, with everything shining and in place. Ogiwara let his eyes roam around pleasurably until he found _it._ He could almost feel his eyes glistening in malice as they fell on that particular item.

The best item to fuck around with.

Next to the furniture that held all the majestic trophies of the Akashi heir was found a violin. Ogiwara did not know that the redhead could play that instrument, but as he approached his target, he found that the brat had won a couple of awards in some music competitions. He must be a nice violinist, Ogiwara mused silently as he imagined the redhead playing that instrument. This was an instrument that befitted the image of the classy, stuck up snob perfectly. Too bad now. The little brunette had to tamper with the instrument. He was not stupid enough to break a string; that could cost him a big fortune. He slowly tiptoed to the instrument and played with the screw of the last string to release the tension. He only needed to detune the instrument. The next time that brat decided to play with it, he would have the additional work of tuning the violin again.

Ahhh, this was so good. Messing with the things of Akashi Seijuro was such a great pleasure. The redhead told him not to touch any of his things and so, Ogiwara had to make sure that he did the exact opposite. Laying his fingers on the screw of the violin made him feel like a wave of rebellion against the emperor. He was feeling so bad-ass and proud of his job. After messing up with the tune of the violin, he turned around and headed to what looked like the en-suite wash room.

And boy, did he take a double turn when he switched on the lights. The bathroom was even better than those found in those five-stars hotels he usually saw in the television. It had a shower area, a big ass bathtub, a Jacuzzi that was unfortunately not filled, a dressing area, an apparent walk-in closet, full size-mirror, and the list could go on. It was such a large piece, nothing like the little en-suite of his room. There was even a big television screen on the wall, for god's sake! Ogiwara could trade his all his property for some room like that. But he had no big properties to trade, and absolutely no wish to trade with the redhead, so it's a no.

Now, now... How could he use the shower when there was such a sexy, tempting, flirty bathtub all laid down and ready for him next to it? Ogiwara decided to take a good, warm bath and started preparing the tub. He took notice of the piles of towels and bathrobes available next to it. They all seem so fluffy and soft. His own clothes could wait for a bit. The little brunette took one of the bathrobes and a towel to use. He was not going to miss the opportunity to use such good stuffs. He could care even less that it was prepared for some majestic snob like Akashi Seijuro. Now that he was already in his private area, he might as well use some of the royal treatment that the brat was usually showered with.

Ogiwara felt blissful as he slowly dipped in the bathtub. He took a quick shower before just to get himself clean and now had the warm water to soothe his tense muscles from sitting in the train for hours straight. On a rack next to the tub was found an assortment of toiletries for him to use in the shower. He was tempted to blow off a bubble bath but he would have to move around a bit to make it fizz. He thus decided otherwise, and let his head immerse halfway in the steamy bath for some relaxation time. He did not care about the time flying away. Ogiwara did not want to leave the bath. There was both some physical and psychological purification going on in that tub. He felt as if he was on cloud nine.

Only when he found it next to impossible to fight off the fatigue and sleepiness that were setting in, he crawled out of the tub and dried himself off haphazardly. His eyelids were all droopy, and the steam that settled in the bathroom was not making things any easier for him. He must have easily spent an hour in there, he thought as he noticed his fingers' skin slightly scrunched up. But it was all worth it; he had absolutely no regrets on his part. The little teen lazily put on the bathrobe he took with him, crept out of the room and threw himself to bed for an instant deep slumber, completely oblivious to a little fact.

 _He was still in the almighty Akashi's room._

 **A/N: So... I can safely say that there will be a good portion of Akashi in the next chapter. I'm sorry if this chapter is not a funny as the previous ones! T.T As for the pairing, I did say that there won't be any in the main plot, but... I'm actually reconsidering it a bit cause well.. I'm thinking of leaving some hints here and there in the main plot and then make it progress after it. My writing is just getting overflowed with those fujoshi feels ToT There will be some development in Akashi's character next, and well, aaaghhh, I'll keep the suspense for the next chapter! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the story so far!**

 **Rates and reviews will be much appreciated~**


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Note: Hello! I'm back with a new chapter! :D Sorry to keep you waiting so much. It was downright hard to write this chapter, Akashi's parts always got me nervous with my writing. Hopefully, you will like it. I had a hard time keeping my fujoshi feels at bay while writing this, but I guess you'll be able to see the gears** **slightly** **changing in Akashi's behaviour from now on. I did some character development of Akashi... Warning: mention of self-harm scars and related stuffs.**

 **Enjoy the reading~**

Dinner without a certain little brunette was peaceful, to say the least. There were no guarded eyes to secretly scrutinize his actions, no witty replies to some of his orders and ultimately, no ridiculous shots fired against him. Seijuro silently enjoyed his three-course meal in the absence of Ogiwara. He was glad that the brunette decided to fend for himself and leave the group alone for their last meal of the day. Reo was still as chirpy as ever, but at least he was not the subject of all his enthusiasm. The other seniors were left to deal with him. His senpais were all half-heartedly engaged in the little talks and commentaries of the black-haired shooter. Akashi could safely say that he had a nice time. He did enjoy listening to the little talks, as long as he did not have to actively participate in the conversation.

Akashi had no time to lose after dinner. He was a guy who strictly followed his agenda for the day. He had some work planned after the meal. Holidays or not, he went through his school materials every night. It was not as if he believed that he was not smart; he sure as hell knew that he would still outshine everyone even if he did not commit so much. But he was not like some overconfident brats like Aomine Daiki to slack off only because he could do so. Aomine already had to taste the bitter outcome of slacking during the first round of the Winter Cup. The match between Touo and Seirin had been an interesting one; one which hinted on the promising skills of the winner's team. Akashi was anticipating the match he would have against Seirin, but amidst all the efforts he was investing in his extracurriculars, he still had to find an adequate time to spend on his studies. Akashi Seijuro was born as the heir of the corporation which actively decided the future of Japan's economy. Being born in the most renowned top tier family in the country with superiority lacing around his genes, victory was engraved in his existence and he was taking not even the slightest risks against it.

He swiftly made his way to the mansion's library after excusing himself. Even though he did not usually stay for long periods in Tokyo, he had some of his own materials sent here for his self-study sessions. The library was vast, not as vast and ancient as the one in Kyoto, but it was still remarkably well-furnished and maintained. He slowly made his way through the large shelves and paused in the science section. His subject to review for the day was biology, more specifically the neural system. Science was not really the subject which invoked his inner inquisitiveness, for since his birth he had been conditioned to inherit the family business and thus had been crafted to develop a sound understanding and a growing passion in the field of entrepreneurship, business and the dynamics of economy. However, it would be a lie for him to say that the field of science was uninteresting. He was still easily fascinated by it; after all, curiosity has its own reason for existing, as Einstein rightly said.

Seijuro was quick to spot some nice textbooks on his topic of revision and carried them to his own desk in the personal library, where the rest of his school materials were found. He was already used to revise effectively, and thus got deeply engaged in his task of highlighting and making his own personal notes on the nervous communication. Even though he was relaxed and focused, he could not afford to move slowly in his revision for the night, since he had to get a good rejuvenating sleep for his first match of the second round the next day.

The logic behind the lessons were clear, and Akashi was fast to catch the flow and order of the topic. It was pretty fascinating to learn how the human brain and nerves functioned, and this interest catalysed his whole revision period. The redhead found himself done for the night slightly earlier than he predicted. This was even better for him, as it only meant that he could get some additional time to relax and recuperate. He did not have to go through the data on their opponents with the team again; he had already prepared everyone to an optimum for the match. It would be their win, and he did not have to lose a good night sleep pondering over that. He was not underestimating his opponents; Akashi was just certain about his Absoluteness, and he could even say that he would not have to bring out his special move for their win tomorrow. He had a pretty reliable team that also consisted of raw talent along with a lot of fineness gained over rigorous practice.

It was exactly half past eleven at night when Akashi entered his master bedroom. It was almost dark, the only source of light coming from the slightly open door of the bathroom in which the light was still on. Despite the darkness, Seijuro quickly made his way to the washroom to see if a certain little weakling was still inside. From the silence in the room, it was highly unlikely, but it was equally possible for the brunette to fall asleep in the tub or something. After seeing the lack of any human life in his bathroom, Akashi sighed in relief and went to refresh himself. He noticed the way some of his personal toiletries were scattered, and even identified an unknown buddle of clothes neatly folded near the sink but he could not care less for the time being. He stripped naked and went for a warm shower, completely unaware of a certain brunette who was sleeping on his bed on the other side of the bathroom door.

After dressing up in a pair of loose, comfy sweater pants and wrapping a bathrobe round his torso, Akashi slowly proceeded to his room. He did not have to wear any heavy, woollen pyjamas or anything of the sort even in winter, for the temperature of the room was perfectly controlled by the heater. The warmness that spread over the room was highly conducive to a good night's sleep but Akashi was not done yet. He had one last task to do before going to bed, and that would be going over his agenda for the following day and see to it that it was perfectly planned and organised. This last minute check was not really crucial, but Seijuro always favoured cautiousness over slackness. He switched on the dim, yellow lights in the room instead of the main LED tube and froze instantly as his eyes fell on an unidentifiable mass of white, cream and brown on his bed.

Of all the beds that were made available for the team in this goddamn mansion, Shigehiro found only his to crash on.

Akashi rolled his eyes hard. That little weakling had done it now. He chuckled bitterly in partial disbelief as he recalled about the previous times during the day the brunette managed to hit on his nerves. First the food call, then the bathroom call, and now Shigehiro had the audacity to fall asleep on his bed? What a troublesome brat. The little shrimp indeed had no limits when it came to troubling him. It was nearly midnight now, and Seijuro felt the fatigue of the day startling to settle in as he paused for a moment to regain his calm.

That's it. He was going to do the most logical thing to do in this situation. Akashi decided to wake that weakling up, make him feel like the biggest embarrassment in the world for sleeping on his bed, and shoo him away. He could not really afford to go on a verbal spar right now with the teen; it was all too late and he needed a good sleep. A shot of adrenaline in his body would do no good, only delaying the sleep to fall in later. Akashi approached the teen, who was sleeping on his belly, and shook his shoulders in an attempt to wake him up. _No response._ The brunette was sleeping like a log and was drooling on his favourite pillow in top of it. _The nerves of that sleeping brat._ Akashi took a deep breath to calm down. This was not the time to snap in annoyance. It was all too ridiculous. What was he now, Sleeping Beauty? Akashi called him, by his first name precisely, a few times and kept on shaking him but the brunette showed no signs of waking up. Seijuro grew more and more annoyed as the time slowly ticked by, and Shigehiro remained in a deep slumber. Did he have to get kissed on his lips by some prince in order for Ogiwara to wake up? Akashi almost snorted in derision.

Finally done with the proper way of trying to wake someone up, Akashi grabbed the little teen's arm violently and proceeded to roll him around so that he could slap him awake. However, the moment he squeezed on the little arm of the brunette, Shigehiro groaned in protest and rolled around by himself. The sight that came from it made Akashi freeze again, for the second time. This was becoming too frequent. Akashi Seijuro always recognised himself as someone who should be able to handle any kind of situation, no matter how awkward and inconvenient it was for him. He should not be freezing and blushing madly at the sight of nudity under the bathrobe that Shigehiro was wearing. Why the hell was Ogiwara sleeping on his bed all naked under a bathrobe?

"Onii-chan... five minutes more... please," the little brunette whined sleepily. He went back to dreamland almost instantly.

Akashi sighed in defeat as he heard the mumblings of the little teen. He had to wake the other teen up, but the task seemed to be too bothersome for his own tired self. Seijuro sat on the edge of the bed and observed the sleeping male while thinking of another way to wake him up. He took notice of some of the features of Shigehiro at the closer inspection. The brunette was definitely petite, probably still underweight since his bathrobe, which was already a small size, seemed to be all loose and dangling around Shigehiro's body. Akashi paused to study the sleeping expression of the weakling. This was the first time he had seen Shigehiro make such a relaxed face so closely. Seijuro was always bestowed with the guarded, pointed eyes and an inward frown from the brunette. Ogiwara never let his guards down in his presence, and to see the brunette so relaxed right now... Akashi felt a very slight reluctance in waking him up.

He sighed as he looked at the exposed chest of the brunette. Rolling to lay on his back managed to loosen the bathrobe even more around his body, revealing his chest and waist area. Akashi was thankful that the knot was still tied, and at least held the bathrobe over the most critical parts that he absolutely did not want to see. A pair of heterochromatic eyes paused and observed intently at the exposed waist of the little teen. Shigehiro had a tiny waist, very feminine for a boy hitting puberty. Many faint white lines were littered on the sides over that place, and Akashi noticed that there was more on the right side that on the left part. The right side contained some deeper cuts; some of the white lines seemed to be harsher to his eyes. For a brief moment, Seijuro wondered if there were other places that contained such marks on the brunette's body, but he did nothing about that thought.

The heterochromatic redhead never completely understood the whole point of self-harming. It was a downright stupid and selfish act to do in his point of view. Anyone who practised such kind of disgusting, self-depreciating activities immediately fell low in his eyes. He was born and raised by wolves, guarded intently and consistently for any mistake on which they could pound on him and tear his image up. He never had the time to dwell on the possibility of harming himself when faced with distress. Heck, forget about cutting, he did not even shed a tear during his mother's funeral. He was taught to be brave and independent, to lick his wounds by himself and stand firm on his grounds, irrespective of the force and intensity of the opposition. How could one indulge in such selfish, self-harming activities when he could be better off planning a counter-attack?

He highly doubted the relief that self-harmers supposedly felt while doing such acts of absolute foolishness. Life was meant to hurt, and the real way to conquer that pain was to accept it and get over it by becoming stronger. Lamenting over the lows that hit him was something that Seijuro never did. He always grew away from it, and worked his best at becoming stronger. Akashi Seijuro was not someone who would let such self-plummeting emotions get the best of him. He could easily shut that part down as he worked his way towards his victories. Suffering was for the losers, who would be forgotten in the course of history. He belonged to the winning team. Such petty emotions, he only considered as a bother in his path towards his acclaimed victory.

Seijuro unconsciously brought his hand closer to the scars. Even though he did not understand the point of cutting, he was curious about the texture and the depth of the scars it left behind. His fingers lightly grazed over the biggest and widest white line on the waist of Shiegehiro. That mark must have probably required some stitching. He felt the tightness of the scar tissues and the difference in their textures as he lightly caressed the abused area of the brunette's waist. Shigehiro has such smooth skin, and the contrast between the rigid scarring tissues with his normal skin was felt even at the slightest touch. He was careful not to apply too much pressure so that the brunette remained asleep. Akashi had absolutely no wish to be caught spying over the scars of the little teen.

 _This is all your doing._

Heterochromatic eyes widened instantly as Akashi registered that little voice. His hands gripped on Shigehiro's waist as he heard that voice, causing the little teen to shudder slightly and break the redhead away from the shock. Seijuro retracted his hands away from the sleeping male as he sat still on the bed. _This was not his doing,_ Akashi Seijuro thought persistently. It had been a long time since he heard that voice; _his_ voice, but he was not going to get swayed by that, by _him_. They both had come to a point of compromise when he emerged from that one-on-one against Murasakibara. Akashi Seijuro had to win, and the cost that came along with it was completely irrelevant. He was not the reason behind those scars. Ogiwara Shigehiro himself was to be blamed for harming himself. He was just a weakling for not being able to digest a defeat. Akashi had nothing to do with that. The redhead immediately flushed those thoughts away as he came to a conclusion about his current situation.

Akashi did not want to face the awake, grudging self of Shigehiro, let alone engage in a conversation with him right now, especially after hearing _that_ voice after such a long time. He felt even more worn out and was already on the move to call the butler to his room when he recalled one particular event that happened during the summer camp. The Uncrowned Kings had the time of their life juggling the little brunette among themselves on the hills. He would be lying if he said that he was not interested to know how much the brunette really weighed. From the view of it, Shigehiro was definitely light. Discarding the idea of calling the butler to dispose of the brunette and weariness complying forgotten, he proceeded to lift the sleeping teen off his bed. The moment the teen was in his arms, Akashi could not help but whole-heartedly agree with that one statement of Reo. Shigehiro was definitely so light, just like a baby. Akashi felt inwardly proud and haughty for lifting that little sassy, sleeping brat so effortlessly but refused to admit it. The heir felt as if he was carrying a little sleeping squirrel that would angrily bite at his fingers if woken up. He carried the little brunette bridal style to the neighbour room that was temporarily Ogiwara's and dumped him on the bed.

It was slightly past midnight, and Akashi finally decided to call the butler to get his bed redone. He refused to think about the that voice again and forced himself to sleep. After all, he was tired from the long journey they had and had a match to play the following day. It was not that hard for him to fall into a dreamless sleep quickly.

Ogiwara felt as if he was floating on some soft, plush cloud. He could feel his consciousness slowly seep in as someone softly shook him in his sleep. A couple of minutes away, he was able to recognised the soft voice that accompanied the gentle shaking. The little brunette grunted and pouted, eyes still closed and frowning. He was not really a morning person, but he did not want to come out as rude to his brother-in-law, especially not when the elder male took the task to wake him up gently.

"Sato-san..." the brunette greeted half-asleep.

"Shige-chan, it's time to wake up. The team will be going to the stadium in a short," the teacher informed.

"Aaaraaa, did you fall asleep like that?!" he continued probing.

The elder male took a surprised stance while he proceeded to move the soft duvet away from the sleeping teen to get him up. He was not expecting to see the brunette only sporting a bathrobe on under the covers. Spending a night in such little clothing could be dangerous, especially in winter. Thankfully, the duvet should be thick enough to protect him from any threats of a cold.

"Are you alright?" Takuo-san asked.

"Yeah..." Ogiwara grunted a reply, sleep still thick.

"Good morning, Shige-chaaaaan~" a new voice, which Ogiwara recognised as Mibuchi, tried to interrupt his nap.

It seemed that a little committee was forming in his room, as the assistant coach and the shooter of the team came to wake the little brunette up. Ogiwara was not really pleased by the intrusion. He was a sleep-loving person. There were three things about which one absolutely should not mess up with Ogiwara, and those would be 1)his food, 2)his sleep, and 3) his fan-boy persona. You simply _do not mess_ with Ogiwara concerning those stuffs. He could get even more obnoxious that the spoiled brat next door if in case one provoked him about those things. But for today, since they were not dragging him up or forcing his sleep away, he was not annoyed by the people coming to greet him. He could always count on his brother-in-law to have the patience to wake him up properly.

Ogiwara let out a big, silent yawn as he began to push his sleepiness away. He slowly brought on of his hands to his face and rubbed his eyes before attempting to open them. Thankfully, the curtains were not completely pulled over, and thus the lighting in the room were pretty dim, sparing his blinking eyes from the prickliness. He blinked cautiously once, twice while frowning and pouting ever so slightly. He had never been someone who could just blink the sleep away; every morning was a struggle to wake up completely. Seeing the little actions of the teen while he tried to fight the sleep away, the black-haired shooter could not help but coo.

"Awww! He really looks like a baby when he does that," Reo let out, as chirpy and motherly as ever.

"I know right," the teacher seconded.

Just when the brunette was able to grumble in protest, a knock was heard at the door. The butler came in almost instantly, holding a bundle of clothes in his hand.

"Ogiwara-san left this in the bathroom of Akashi-bocchan yesterday," he said as he placed the clothes on the chair next to the bags.

"Sei-chan's bathroom?" Mibuchi wondered loudly.

Ogiwara remembered the heavenly bath he took in that brat's room and hummed in approval to confirm the words of the butler. At that, the butler left the room, and Akashi made his way in to announce some stuffs to the assistant coach and shooter. The basketball captain made his way to the brunette's room to inform them that they would be leaving in a while and that they should all, in the exception of Shigehiro, gather in the hall downstairs so that they could leave together.

"Sei-chan! Did Shige-chan use your bathroom yesterday?" Curiosity got the better out of Mibuchi.

"Yes, and my bed too, quite daringly," the redhead spat in disdain.

At the mention of the bed, Ogiwara's eyes instantly shot open. He did _not_ remember that part at all, and refused to accept that harsh reality. Sleep evaporating away, the little brunette sprang up to challenge the words of the basketball captain.

"What are you talking about?" Ogiwara frowned while probing. He was already pissed off at having his sleep robbed away in such a rude manner. He did not appreciate the trick that the red devil was trying to pull on him, though he could not understand much of it.

"I let you use my bathroom out of pure repentance for that faulty shower faucet in yours, only to find your almost naked self sprawling on my bed in a deep slumber. You really lack a sense of shame, Shigehiro." Akashi commented coldly. Of course he was not going to let go of this occasion to humiliate the weakling.

"Stop joking," Ogiwara shrugged off in complete denial while snorting.

He refused to let the panic settle in as he recalled of absolutely no memory on how he managed to find his way to his room after the bath. He must have sleepily trotted his way to his bed. This was the most logical, plausible and _acceptable_ explanation of all. He could not have mistaken that snob's bed as his.

"I'm waking up on my own bed, as a proof that I did not crash on yours," Ogiwara reasoned.

"Do not question my words, Shigehiro. I'm always right," Akashi reminded the brunette.

"Your persistent consistency in sleep is a great inconvenience. You showed absolutely no signs of waking up no matter what. I had to get you carried away from my bedroom. The butler can confirm that if you still refuse to believe me," Akashi continued.

The butler actually had no idea about the fact that he, the grand almighty heir of the Akashi family, was actually the one to carry the brunette to bed, but for one, no one working in the Akashi household would dare to oppose his words, and the bed had to be redone because of Ogiwara. And secondly, the probability of Shigehiro calling on the butler to actually confirm this was very low, keeping in consideration the confidence and ease with which Akashi broke the news of what happened. The heir had already predicted the blush that started to spread on the little brunette's face. Although it was some hours late, Akashi had finally been able to embarrass the weakling using that incident. He resisted the urge to smirk victoriously at the sight in front of him.

"Really..?" Ogiwara was still confused, even though an embarrassing blush started to settle on his face and neck.

"My words are truth," Akashi confirmed in his own haughty manner.

If Ogiwara was not feeling such annoyance and embarrassment from getting caught in such an unbelievable act that seemed to have really happened, it would have been next to impossible to resist the urge to roll his eyes at that redheaded brat and maybe imitate his haughty, stuck-up behaviour and repeat that particular sentence in the most mocking way possible. _Did that snobby brat ever listen to himself talking?_ But alas! In all honesty, he could not recall how he ended up in his own room, therefore confirming those heart-breaking words of the Gorgon Head. Akashi Seijuro was one cruel human being, be it with words or in action.

A larger wave of shame and embarrassment hit him as he felt the only piece of clothing on him. He was still in that goddamn bathrobe. Such a poisoned gift of a decision he took yester-night. So, _not only did he fall asleep on the bed of the devil incarnated, but he had to be almost naked on top of it?!_ Ah, why was God playing such cruel games to him? If only the world could open and swallow him up at that very moment. Getting so much humiliation from that snob was painful and awkward, and the embarrassment was completely overflowing and oozing out of his body. As panicky thoughts kept running through his mind as he assessed the gravity of his actions, Shigehiro blushed deep scarlet. He could practically feel the heat pooling over his face, ears and neck.

"I'm sorry," the brunette finally mumbled in defeat.

"Speak properly." Akashi was enjoying this moment way too much.

"I said I'm sorry for the inconvenience!" Ogiwara yelled in annoyance.

"Whatever." Akashi shrugged as he motioned the rest to follow him.

It was about time for them to leave for the stadium .Seijuro's work here was done, very successfully in his opinion as he sneaked a last glance at the deep scarlet that had spread over the face and neck of Ogiwara along with the signature frown. He managed to embarrass the weakling in front of his sibling _and_ the team member with the loudest mouth who would definitely not be able to hold on his tongue about what he just heard. It was a good thing that Reo was in the room, though coincidentally. This particular presence only confirmed the fact that the words of this incident would spread like wildfire, much to the embarrassment of the little brunette. Akashi was satisfied of his work.

 _The day took a great start_ , the redhead mused with a slight smile. They all proceeded to the hall, leaving behind a little, violently blushing brunette in bed.

 **A/N: Not much humour in this chapter, I know T.T Sumimasen, mina-san! I'm sorry :( I can't really promise some humour in the next chapter, since I'm still struggling with whether I should do a one chappie humour-burst with Ogiwara or continue with the pre-climax/climax part. *I might do the humour burst, the idea's quite tempting tbh but no promises* But I really had to get Akashi to have a close inspection of the scars of Ogiwara. I hope that the flow was right!**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the story so far! Rates and reviews will be much appreciated~**


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Notes: Hey! I'm back... after a long time, I know! ^^'' :x I'm so sorry for the late update. Got a new job, tiring as eff. But I ain't dropping this story! Gotta finish what I started, right? ;D It took me a month to update, and it's going to remain a bit slow, but not stagnant! I'll keep trying my best!~ *fighting!***

 **Anyway, I wanted to sincerely thank all the people who favourited/follows and reviewed this story! Thank you so so so much; it really helps me soooo freaking much with the writing to know that people are appreciating it TvT I'm feel so grateful and humbled whenever any of you fav/follow/review my work :')**

 **I'm just going to put this as a little warning: there will be mentions of some other animes and K-pop stuffs in the first few paragraphs. If you're not aware about those stuffs, I'm really sorry. I tried my best to get Ogiwara's fanboy persona shine through the mentions, but still had to rely on some stuffs to make him fawn over. I hope you still find it humorous even if you don't really recognise the names! If you can't keep up with it, I won't mind if you read quickly through it... *stuffed sobs* This whole chapter is not only about his fanboy personal though! I'm so sorry for making this part hard for y'all! Excuse my anime-obsessed and k-pop fangirl self for this bit. :(**

 **I wont be keeping you up for long now. Enjoy the reading~**

Ogiwara was so freaking proud of himself. He felt so satisfied of his hard work and sacrifices from before, he could just pat himself on his back right now. The countless months of cutting off his spending and saving his pocket money was finally paying off. He was currently in the heart of the shopping and high fashion district, safely away from the very bad memory of a shameful conversation that happened between the red snob and him a couple of days back. That very embarrassing memory was in the process of getting buried off in a deep, dark corner of his mind that he would forget the address to. Ogiwara did not want to brag whenever he thought about this, but – _dang_ \- he was really rich for the day, even though it was nothing compared to the snob brat. He had his own money thickening his wallet and pockets, along with an envelope stashed with even more money for the baby shopping from his generous sister. He could feel himself swoon slightly from all the blood rushing to his head out of the excitement and adrenaline piling up every time he thought of what he was planning to do. The little brunette took in a deep breath and soaked in the sight in front of him. All sorts of shops surrounded him, flashing off their best offers and waiting for his intrusion.

Coming to Tokyo was definitely worth the shot, tyrannical captain and Winter Cup be damned.

Ogiwara stood still for some moment while deciding what to do first. He was literally torn between rushing to the anime and music shops and totally binge over the merchandise they offered, or to dutifully go for a round of baby shopping for the little angel yet to come in the family. Doing both at the same time seemed like a very tempting idea, to say the very least, but it would be more manageable for him to do one at a time, in fear of blowing up all the money at once and not appreciate both activities like the good, dedicated fan-boy and soon-to-be uncle he was. He remained frozen, his mind reeling at an unimaginable speed as he kept on thinking of what to do first. He finally decided to go with the famous words of the oh-so-many anime protagonists he admired and to 'follow his hearteu~'. As if on cue to approve his decision, a bus with a big banner of GOT7, a Korean pop idol group he was currently obsessing over, passed in front of him. _Holy fuck,_ he needed to get a picture of that.

It was the universe trying telling him to go on an anime and k-pop merchandise rampage. Ogiwara needed no more insinuation for this now. Without losing any more _precious_ minutes, he allowed himself to be pulled towards the large anime store near his spot. It was almost like a magnetic attraction, the speed at which he flew inside the store, but the inertia that hit him once he finally set his feet inside and took in the sight of the treasures carefully exposed in front of his eyes reminded him that he was still a moving object, though he was currently paralysed and completely transfixed at the view in front of him. If his chocolate profiteroles were heaven in his mouth, this sight in front of him was definitely heaven in his eyes. He felt as if he was seeing the abode of God. Stars were practically shinning in his eyes while he smiled blissfully.

"E-excuse me, are those life size posters for sale?" Ogiwara finally managed to break out of the reverie was having in the store.

The salesgirl threw him an apologetic smile while announcing him that they were all the last pieces and ran out of stock as quickly as they came in. Ogiwara was not the slightest disheartened though; his sharp mind and quick reasoning came handy in times like these, especially since the answer he got was involuntarily expected. Like, seriously, who the hell would be able to resist a real life poster of Yagami Light, or even the famous L. Death Note was such a gut-wrenchingly good anime that Ogiwara spent three nights sleepless going over the plot again and again. And- _Oh dear lord-_ was that Orihime Inoue in a bikini holding a ball?! Why was it placed behind like that?! Someone needed to drag it to the front and worship the ground on which it was placed, _goddamn it_. He would totally do that every day if he had one in his room.

"Can I take a selfie with those posters?"

Ogiwara sounded much more firm now. He was not leaving the store without those selfies, and was more than ready to raise a ruckus with the manager/owner/whoever-the-hell-was-responsible-of-this-place if he was denied the permission to do so. Why the hell would they leave those posters out and hanging for the thirsty buyers like him when they had already ran out of stock? He suddenly felt irritated at the clear answer than flashed in his mind. Such a cruel way to get the interested visitors hooked in and attract more customers. The shop was being such a tease, but he would make sure to get some good stuffs out of it, along with those well deserved selfies. He was _not_ getting out without those selfies. He had been an avid fan of animation and comics for a very long time; he was well qualified to take a photo with those amazing two-dimensional, fictional personas. The quiet chuckle and nod of the salesgirl made his job much easier though.

About fifty selfies later, Ogiwara finally left the posters alone and slowly approached the other aisles. His eyes immediately landed on a Shingeki no Kyojin sweater that resembled their military uniform with the infamous badge of the Survey Corps and the exact same colour code. It was not really cosplay material but it was out of the ordinary, and his otaku self was completely smitten. The little brunette decided that he was not leaving the store without it, even though the price did ,kind of, made him flinch at first sight.

A few minutes later, Ogiwara realised, with a deeply throbbing pain in his chest, involuntary pout on his mouth and nearly glistening eyes, that he could not possibly buy everything he wanted in this store, even if he went completely broke and in debt to his sister. Everything was gleaming and shining in his eyes, but he had to carefully pick the rarest and most appealing stuffs which were really irresistible, like that one figurine of Death note's most badass shinigami, Ryuk which he did not realise that he had been searching for in his whole life, and the wicked Bloody Rose gun replica of Zero Kiryu. He also picked some cheap pocket files, pillow cases and posters that were becoming rare back home and left the store pleased with the fact that he had done an exquisitely good job at picking the finest merchandise around. He still felt his heart pinching a little bit at the hard choices he had to make, but -oh well- there were more stores to visit. Maybe he should try to shoplift at this rate.

A couple of stores later, Ogiwara decided that he had spent enough on anime stuffs. It was time to spend his money on some real people who were not really aware of his existence. _Ah_ , the struggles of being a K-pop fan-boy. After some travelling, the brunette finally reached his much anticipated destination. A street filled with K-pop. Everywhere. He had to take a moment to not get carried away by the sheer fact that he was surrounded with one of his obsessions, and to resist the urge to shower his money on every possible K-pop merchandise and custom stuffs in his sight because they were so freaking rare in Kyoto. Ogiwara had a budget to stick to, and a specific goal to achieve. Even though he had seen that big ass banner of GOT7 on that bus previously, he knew that the idol group was still struggling to hit it as big as the famous ones here. But Ogiwara had a target. He needed to dig in deep and pull out a poster of only one idol in that group, _the_ Jackson Wang. If he also got a nice GOT7 poster at a fair price though, he would not be complaining at all.

Jackson Wang , GOT7's self acclaimed 'in charge of being wild and sexy' idol. The one who deadpanned "rice" as the answer to a fan's question on what he ate to become so sexy. The Jackson Wang who said out loud that kissing with a paper is not his style during the paper kiss game. Jackson who probably participated in Amber's Shake that Brass video because he got told that he could whip and Nae Nae. Oh God- Ogiwara caught himself right before diverging his thoughts to one of the coolest female, f(x)'s Amber, and focused back on Jackson, holy father of new k-pop memes and funny faces. Ogiwara might or might not have spent a bit too much time going through his variety shows, but he had to admit it though. That idol was goals. Literally. Jackson Wang was body goals, personality goals, confidence goals and most crucially, English accent goals.

Ogiwara had to get out of his appreciation mode and actually get moving. Even though he had a target that yet had to be achieved, he managed to get some great posters of BTS, because he also might or might not have binged watched all their music videos and shows. But really, who would not binge watch those dorks after hearing their broken English and seeing the youngest of the group literally run away from girls every time? Ogiwara was well aware that BTS stuffs were easily available, but he could not resist the temptation when faced with them every time. The same applied for SNSD, who were less popular here. And when the little brunette found a big poster of his spirit animal, 2NE1's Park Bom, he had to buy that too. Park Bom and him shared the same policies on food. They both crave for good food, and come very clear about it.

Ogiwara's heart skipped a beat when he finally caught a glimpse of what he was frantically searching for. He let out an audible gasp, eyes widening like saucers and mouth hanging open as he registered the big poster of the idol he had been looking for. Jackson Wang was rocking his blond hair on the picture, and Ogiwara felt like attaining nirvana when he realised that he was finally getting what he had been looking for. He let out a satisfied smile and looked around for a salesgirl to ask for that poster, but his joy immediately combusted only to be replaced by a fire of competition and survival of the fittest when he noticed another girl ogling the blessed poster he had been aiming to roll in his bag. _Oh no_ , that biatch was not getting any of it. The brunette just knew that he had to get that poster _first_ , copies and stocks be damned. He was taking no risk with his favourite idol's poster in line.

Both ardent fans broke into action almost simultaneously, but when it came to situations like these, Ogiwara could be as quick as a panther. The only thing he knew was that he was ordering that poster first; he was taking no damn risk of letting no other girl have the possibly last poster of Jackson Wang, not when he had been walking through dozens of shops around asking for it like a dumb idiot and getting no as an answer every time. _No bitches better be coming between him and his goddamn poster._

"Can I have one of that?!"

Ogiwara was quicker, and mentally did a victory dance under the death glare that the girl was throwing at him. He could be the sweetest person in the world and the most authentic gentleman when he wanted to, but right now, the 'ladies first' rule might as well suck his toes. He was not going to cede in and let another human being get that poster before him. And damn was he right to rush like his life depended on it.

"Lucky you, son. It's the last one. You can have it," the old cashier announced while proceeding to remove the last poster hanging.

Ogiwara sighed in relief. He might not have a female instinct, but he could be pretty accurate when sensing stuffs like that at times. His mischievous self could not help but surface out when he saw the girl next to him, who obviously rushed to get that poster and failed because of his amazing, quick, panther-like self, fight to not pout visibly. He let out a smug grin and tossed the cash for the poster haughtily. He was quicker, and proud of his new item. Heck, forget about missing the last one available, Ogiwara had already made the plan to stick it on his room's wall and worship that poster every day.

Ogiwara felt contented with life as he walked away from the Korean part of the shopping district. He had followed his heart enough for today. It was time for some more shopping on the part of his expecting sister. The little brunette was always very fond of babies, and was never ashamed to admit it. He was already using his free time googling on how to prepare baby formula and checking the right temperature of the milk. He even watched some YouTube videos on how to properly bath an infant, change its nappies and read on many other stuffs he could do to help his siblings.

He was not even slightly bothered by the fact that he was the only high school boy in the baby shop, surrounded by expecting mothers, soon-to-be fathers and over-excited elderly people. In fact, he secretly liked how he caused a spark of fascination to light in the eyes of people noticing his alone presence inside the shop. But he had a more important job to do. He had to search for some cute baby clothes of the smallest size available. It was already hard in Kyoto to search for that size, since most of them were available for three month plus babies, and her sister was completely appalled by the idea of online shopping for the clothes that would be covering the tender skin of his offspring (Ogiwara seconded that instantly).

"Do you need some assistance, sir?" an old woman approached the teen, and Ogiwara felt like an expecting dad when he got addressed as Sir.

"I'm looking for the smallest size for infant clothes, actually.." he quickly replied, getting over his previous feelings. _Weird._

"Please come this way."

The teenage boy followed the lady and ended up in an aisle/corner that were showered with the tiniest pieces of clothing that made the boy coo and awed at the lovely sight. This was all too adorable. Before even registering what he was doing, he took out his phone, clicked a picture and sent it to the expecting couple. It was already a bit late, the basketball match must have been over so he was not bothering any of them. Ogiwara decided that Tokyo was paradise; and his all-time favourite place to shop. This feeling got even stronger as he browsed through the baby clothes. Tiny gloves, shoes, pants, coats, dresses, shirts and even cosplay outfits; Ogiwara was thankful for the generous amount of money that her sister gave her for the baby shopping. He was in fact tempted to call his brother-in-law and ask for more because it was going to be hella hard to choose clothes here, and the prices were not really narrating a happy story either.

He started to carefully pick the softest, most comfortable pieces of clothes he could feel between his hands until a thought hit him hard like a plane crashing on his head. He had no idea if the couple was expecting a boy or a girl. Should he pick some dresses and skirts too? What if it's a boy? It would kind of be money wasted. Should he only stick to unisex clothes? But damn, those frilly dresses and skirts were one of a kind. It would be a shame to leave the store without any of them and later finding out that his sister was dropping a daughter between her legs. Ogiwara sighed in frustration. He had to do something to clear that troubled thought.

"Sato-san! Did you get the picture?" he asked as soon as the elder male picked up his call.

"I would have jumped into the nearest cab and join you in this shopping spree if I was not so tired. Buy all of them. I cannot afford to leave any of those cutesy clothes behind. If needed, I'm going to convince your sister to build a new closet for the kid," Takuo answered, excited but with a tired voice.

Ogiwara gave no flying fucks about the match they had today, and was not going to ask anything related to it. He dropped the bomb, ever so casually.

"Are you expecting a boy or a girl?" Takuo must have been taken aback by the question, the brunette thought as he was met with utter silence for a couple of seconds.

"I don't know. It's going to remain a surprise. Shiori is not planning to do the test, to be honest," the teacher replied. Ogiwara sighed.

"What do I do about the dresses and skirts? They are all so adorable. Have you noticed the frilly yellow one in the right corner of the picture? It's practically begging to be bought. I will feel like abandoning a crying orphan if I leave it here," Ogiwara whined. He really wanted to buy stuffs to his heart's content.

"Buy it then," the elder male replied as if it was the most logical thing in the world.

"What if it's a boy?" Ogiwara was not sure how open minded his brother-in-law was. He needed to make sure before getting into action.

"Fuck gender roles and societal norms. If my boy want to dress up like Elsa, I will dress him and myself up as Elsa." The teacher sounded firmer than a brick on that.

"You're the best," the little teen approved of his sister's choice and never felt so proud about it.

He got some of those bloody amazing dresses along with a big bunch of clothes, Totoro and Pikachu onesies that the baby would be able to wear when it would be slightly older, and the softest baby duvet he ever laid his hands on. While making his way to the cashier, his eyes felt on something that his sister clearly warned him on not to buy. But it was so cute... so small... and the cute blue colour of the item was even more enticing. He had to get that baby bottle. After some mental struggling, he left the shop with two bags of baby stuffs, including the smallest bottle that he could not resist.

Ogiwara went straight to the dinner feast as soon as he got back to the mansion. He had taken his whole sweet time shopping around, but made sure to inform the elder male every now and then. Since the dinner hall was close to from the entrance of the house, he carried his whole dozen of shopping bags along to the big room and carefully placed it in a corner as he made himself noticed.

"I'm back, everyone~" he chirped in to make everyone aware of his presence, and from the reaction that he got(which was a bit unexpected and surprising), it was a good thing he did so before dashing in directly.

The whole room was tense and frowning before they noticed him. The tension in the hall was almost palpable and it seemed as if the regulars were slightly shaky and fidgety in their demeanour. Ogiwara's arrival got everyone out of this dense atmosphere for a while. It took the black-haired shooter some additional moments to get over the initial surprise and interruption of his apparent dark thoughts to welcome him back. Reo chirped back a reply as melodiously as he could, though he was no longer sporting the same relaxed features he usually held. His brother-in-law gave him a genuine smile back, but Ogiwara was not blind. He could notice the underlying fatigue and tension behind it. Hayama was sporting a tight smile, and Nebuya went back to his stiff posture after acknowledging him with a quiet welcome. From one swoop of vision he took across the table, the tension and high concentration vibes that the red-haired captain was emitting were more than obvious.

Today's match must have been an interesting one if it had been able to shake the team up so much, but Ogiwara wanted to know no more about it. He was having a bad feeling about what could possibly happen throughout the night, and this tense atmosphere was not making it any better. He would be the one doing all the talking tonight, to make sure that no one else would drop a bomb over his head. Ogiwara braced himself and made his way next to the seat of his brother-in-law. The small talks that usually travelled across the table were barely audible for the night, and seeing that Reo was still present among them, it was a first. Ogiwara refused to let himself think about what might have happened during the day.

However, if he casually learned during dinner that the team lost the match for the day(which would be unbelievable and shocking in all honesty), he would silently go into his room later and do the Macarena all night. He never wanted something bad to happened to his 'team'(tyrannical captain completely excluded in this thought), but if they happened to lose today's match, he would have absolutely no complains about it. He would probably try to cheer them up, without trying to let his own joy and happiness bubble up in between.

Ogiwara immediately discarded the heavy, bad feeling he was getting beforehand as he thought in that direction. The team could be so tense tonight because they lost, right? And if they lost, it practically meant that he would not have to get into that filthy basketball jersey and listen to that captain and thus would be left unbothered. This trip, with the good food he was fed with during his stay here and the absolute shopping experience, would be one full of only good memories(bedroom incident buried away and forgotten) instead of being stamped with a forceful, unpleasant experience alongside.

Ogiwara was kind of itching to know if the team had lost now. He did not want his friends to go through the pain of losing(just to be clear, Akashi brat was not his friend, and Ogiwara made sure to send a prayer everyday for him to lose in anything ever), but failure comes with lessons and his friends would sure mature out of it in the end. Ogiwara was feeling a bit guilty for silently expecting the team to have lost the match, but hey, if it could also get him out of the trouble and wickedness of the devil incarnated of a basketball captain, what else should he be expecting?

Ogiwara felt his appetite growing leaps and bounds as he contemplated on the idea of not being needed any more. The moment that redhead got him a basketball jersey, he had been bracing himself for the worst, come hell or high waters. He was convinced that the red devil would drag him forcefully through his wicked schemes, and never really considered the possibility of Akashi failing in his plans before actually getting him involved. The little brunette ate to his heart's content instead of engaging into small talks like he had initially planned. With his own thoughts running like a wild horse, and the pleasantness coming from them, he appreciated the feast that was laid in front of him in big mouthfuls. The small talks around were quick to die out and soon gave in to the tense atmosphere that was previously settled in the room, but due to the many theories building in his mind, Ogiwara failed to noticed it. It was such a shame though; he should have at least caught a whim of it before Akashi Seijuro opened his mouth.

"Shigehiro, you're coming with us tomorrow," the redhead announced while placing his spoon on his now empty plate. Such a casual decision made perfectly at the end of dinner time.

Ogiwara choked on his soup at the sudden announcement. He did not bother to lift his head and see around. This could have verily be the reason why everyone was so quiet, along with the fact that they probably had a messy match today. Ogiwara was planning on settling in his brother-in-law's room for the night and go through his shopping haul, but it seemed like all the new stuffs could wait for now. He felt utterly idiotic and pathetic when he thought back on how he came up with the idea that he got saved from the worst outcome ever. _Rakuzan was going for the finals against Seirin._ This had to be the only reason behind the order of the captain, and he just got called in for it.

Ogiwara rushed to the nearest restroom as he felt his dinner crawling up his throat.

 **A/N: Quick reminder- this dinner was on the night following Rakuzan's match against Shuutoku and the pretty wise promise of Akashi gauging out his eyes if they lost it, which ofc they did not. Hence the tension in the air. Ogiwara did not keep informed about the opponents of Rakuzan for each match, thus his confusion and fast theory building. Though he had already figured out that if the captain was going to call him in, it would involve Kuroko in the game, and the only possible way for Rakuzan to face off Seirin would be in the finals. Anyway.. It's coming now. It's finally coming. Climax time. Oh Lord, the pressure of it. I'm literally sweating from the mere thought that I have to finally slap down the climax I have seen over and over again in my head on the keyboard. Your support would be so appreciated.**

 **Rates and reviews will be much appreciated~**


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's note: This is, by far, the longest chapter I've ever written. Please don't be discouraged by the length of it. *drum rolls* It's the climax part, with the tension, stress and more insights on Ogiwara and Akashi, especially Akashi. Writing Akashi with that twisted personality(I still adore him though) is really hard and tiring. I'm sorry for being away for such a long time, but finally getting down with this deciding part was so nerve-wrecking for me to write. I have had a very clear way in my head to deal with the climax, and had to make sure that each and every detail and dialogue was on point. Thus, I had to rewatch the episodes of the finals and reread the chapters.**

 **I won't keep you for long but** ** _pretty pretty please_** **, see the notes at the end of the chapter after reading.**

 **Have a nice reading~**

Everything was a blur.

Ever since he came out the restroom after puking his dinner out last night, Ogiwara had been in a hazy state of mind. He might have as well set his background music as Stay High by Tove lo to complete his look of despair. What he supposedly braced himself for was finally happening. The worst case scenario he had so ardently wished he could skip was finally becoming a reality. The night flew over his head, but the brunette could not even blink, let alone find sleep. Akashi Seijuro had finally done it. The basketball emperor was finally involving him in his final showdown.

Breakfast had been eerily quiet and peaceful without the Shigehiro's usual antics. While the start up line was focused and excited for the final match that night, Akashi was brimming in anticipation. Things were all going according to his predictions. The semi final against Shuutoku had his blood pumping so violently in suspense, and he was expecting no less for the finals. Things were finally getting exciting, despite his promising victory. He had prepared some tricks up his sleeve for tonight's game, and he was pretty sure that Kuroko must have done at least the same. He was certain that Kuroko would provide him with a good game, and like the last championship they won together, the redhead was again planning something that would falter the blue-eyed player's drive.

Time blurred away quickly in front of the eyes of the little brunette in Rakuzan and Ogiwara could not recall clearly how he spent it. His brother-in-law tried to comfort him, but he did not want to worry the elder. The stress of being in the finals must be already bothersome for the assistant coach, and thus the brunette decided to put on his best smile and drive him away. He had no idea what the others were up to, and was glad that they left him alone in his despair. He wanted to shout at them for not helping him out and break down in sobs in their arms for the fright that was quickly consuming him. He knew that Akashi was going to make him go face to face with Kuroko at some point, and damn, even though he had prepared himself for this to happen, it was still _too much_. He was not ready to get involved in the game in any sort of way yet. He still had not been able to organise his own feelings after the rough defeat he faced last year. He was quicker to let the waves of despair crash against him in full force and later swept the damage under the rug.

Ogiwara could feel his heart thumping so aggressively in his ribcage as he took sight of the stadium. He had that goddamn Rakuzan jersey on, and the fabric itched so uncomfortably on his skin. He wanted to tear in off and set it to flames. He kept his mouth shut the whole time, in fear of throwing up all the bile accumulated in his stomach from the stress he was feeling. He knew that he was behaving desperately out of character, but was kind of glad to see the others in their usual form. While it was clearer than crystal that he did not want to partake in the upcoming match, the others were anticipating the whole thing. What saddened him though, was the way they started talking so freely and openly about the match after some time as if he was not bothered by all of it. He knew that the excitement was itching in them, but Ogiwara could not help but flinch inwardly whenever one of them mentioned about how they were going to crush their opponents.

They were in the heart of the winter season, yet Ogiwara found himself breaking off some cold sweats as they made their way in the stadium. There was some paparazzi and fans of the Rakuzan team gathering and making way for them, but Ogiwara could not care less about those details. What got him shivering and sweating was the loud cheers of the crowd, the sound of shoes squeaking against the floor and that of the basketball constantly thumping on the groud. These little things, previously making way to a sense of anticipation in him, could now only feed him with dread and repulsion. His last memory in that court left him with a very bitter taste of the game in his mouth and an aftershock in his head. And the brunette desperately wanted to run away from this place.

It was a real struggle for him to keep his calm and breathe properly as they passed through the crowds during their way to the their locker room. Ogiwara strived to focus on his breathing, and tried his best to cut everything off. The sound of the game, the cheers, the countless clicks of the cameras; he wanted none of it. He could only pray for all of this to end fast. Heck, how was he supposed to come out on the bench and lift his head to face the opponents when he could not even handle this much?! What if that rogue captain of his team decided to spit on him and sub him on during the game? He would probably faint on the spot, only to wake up after some time and punch the heir square in the face. God bless Shiori-nii for sending him off with those boxing gloves.

Ogiwara needed to calm his fucking nerves. He kept his face straight, though he was pretty much sure that the whole team could sense his mute distress. The head coach had been throwing him more than a couple of worried glances, and Takuo-san had been constantly by his side, though he could not say much. As soon as Shirogane-sensei closed the room of their locker room, Ogiwara felt a slight relief course through him. The clear sounds from the ongoing match for third place became mere white background noise, and he was glad for the ambiguity of it. But it was still ages too early to relax, not when the red heir had finally managed to get him to this point. In fact, this was probably the beginning of his torment and he was well aware of it.

Ogiwara was not following any word that was coming out of the head coach's mouth. He could not give a rat's ass about the prep talk that was going on. He only wanted to go home and sleep the whole event off. He was not liking any of it, and could feel himself suffocating in this little room and the intimidating presence of the others. Gone were the kind smiles and light laughs that he was used to; all the regulars were now sporting a concentration that was sharper than a razor blade while absorbing the words of their coach. They looked like absolute demons about to be set in release, complementing the wickedness of the tyrant captain. Shigehiro gulped at the realization that he could not even recognize their usual, friendly selves from the looks they were sporting.

"Shigehiro."

Ogiwara was shoved out of his panicking train of thoughts at the mention of his name. Apparently, in the meantime, the head coach had relayed the last minute advises and guiding to the captain of the team. A fact that Ogiwara clearly missed while getting lost in his own head. All attention was now on him; the brunette could feel their eyes on him. But he did not want to see them with his own eyes. He felt like his own eyes could betray him for today, and Ogiwara for sure did not want others to throw a pity party for his current state. Keeping his head down, he hummed. He had no courage to think of some witty replies and nasty comments. All his energy was being spent on preserving his cool and not freak out. He had done his part of freaking out during his whole membership in that damn club. Seeing how utterly in vain it was, the little brunette could only pray for all of this to end.

"You're going to stay here during the warm up and the start of the game until someone comes to fetch you," Akashi stated.

 _What the fuck?_ Ogiwara whipped his head up in clear confusion. He was supposed to be a benched member, that much he could grasp. He was also supposedly not going to be subbed in, that also he could understand. But the brunette was convinced that he would be forced to see the progress of the final match from the bench right from the start. Now that he knew that Akashi was planning to preserve his so-precious face value in the locker till time called for his petty scheme, Ogiwara was taken aback and felt a wave of dumb relief spread through him. This was completely new to and opened an array of new options to him.

He could still delay his appearance in front of Kuroko and Seirin. He was not going to be thrown in the flames right from the start. He had more time to prepare his shaky self for the encounter. A wave of adrenaline shot right in his blood as he began to think of the many possibilities that were forming from this new piece of information. The brunette bit his tongue to avoid defying the heir against his majestic orders; he could pull a couple of things later if he played along with the snob now. Hopefully, Akashi would not find his behaviour too suspicious and catch on his ideas.

He quickly averted eye contact with the captain and looked down in an attempt to play the kicked puppy, hopeless look while nodding in agreement.

"Good," Akashi approved of the new found docility in the little weakling and continued with his planning for the start up with the others.

So many questions began to form in the little brunette's head as the wheels of his calculating, cunning mind began rolling at full speed. He was going to be stuck here, apparently with the television on to follow the live broadcast of the match, while the others would be out playing. Shigehiro was still shaking and shivering, but with the new course of thoughts that was being processed in his mind, it was for a completely different reason. But first of all, he had to maintain his little facade of despair while the others were still in the room. He still had time to figure something concrete out.

There was no need to freak out and dance the Macarena at the sudden thought of being left alone. Heck, he was not even sure that he would be left alone in this room in the first place. Surely, that Akashi brat would probably place a fat ass guard dog outside to look after him and make sure that he was stuck inside like some locked up princess. _Such Disney, much Rapunzel_. But hell no! Lo and Behold, he was the Ogiwara Shigehiro, finally finding his fighting spirit back after the thick despair and hopelessness he felt since yesterday. After playing along and going with the flow for so long to please the captain, he could finally see an opportunity to ditch everything that the redhead planned for him. If the situation allowed for it, he was ready to grow his hair a shitload much, throw it out of the window and make a run out of this hellhole.

Bouts of utmost defiance and anarchy were popping up in his head when he felt the team moving out for the warm up. The third place was finally decided and Ogiwara gave no flying fucks about it. He was more eager to save his own piece of ass. Now that the starter line was out, he began to pay attention on the little bunch of players remaining inside. Everyone, except his own little self, seemed to be preparing themselves to move out. If the god of Luck was on his side today, he would be left alone to do whatever the fuck he wanted, and that would be showing his majestic middle finger to the captain's orders and getting the fuck out of this damned place.

Of course, Akashi Seijuro had to live up to his status as the devil incarnated and send his god of Luck on a vacation leave.

The moment the little brunette tried to sneak out of the empty locker room, he was met with a hard glare as he poked his head out of the room. He refused to sink down on his knees and bawl when he saw a bench-warmer leaning against the wall in front of the room to play guard. How could he underestimate that majestic snob? Akashi Seijuro was no fancy fool to leave a cunning little fox like him free and unguarded.

Ogiwara silently got his wagging tail of freedom back between his legs and retreated to the room. He felt a sudden surge of annoyance at his optimism. All his plans of escape started to go down the drain, and the loud introduction of the team members for the final match being aired on the television was like the devil rapping in his ears. He instantly switched off that goddamned plasma TV and threw the remote against the door. He felt trapped and panicky, previous feelings about this whole ordeal crawling up at an alarming rate. Oh, just how much he wished he could sneak away from this whole nightmare. Time was ticking away and he still had to figure a way out _alone_.

"Shige-chan!"

Who the hell decided that he had to be alone in the first place? Ogiwara swished around to face the familiar, comforting face of his brother-in-law, though his voice seemed very suspicious. Partners-in-crime, they were after all. Takuo-san must have had something prepared; his voice said it all and Ogiwara could only give him the most genuine pleading look as a silent prayer to get him out of this place.

"Sato-san," Ogiwara whined.

He was moments away from falling to his knees and begging the elder to save him. The panic was finally hitting him in full force. Control and cool demeanour be damned, he needed to get out. He could not care less about the consequences of his actions from so on; it was a life-or-death situation. Fight or flight condition. Adrenaline-based action. Well, whatever his biology knowledge deemed appropriate.

"Listen to me! You don't have to stay here," the teacher spoke quickly. He was already risking a lot by being absent from the side of the head coach near the court. He had a very limited time to help his Ogiwara in distress.

"But there's a watch dog outside," Ogiwara pouted in reply.

The little brunette was already holding both hands of his sibling and clinging on him for his dear life. This was even worse than a prison break when none of them had even committed a crime. The real criminal was a winning freak currently playing on the basketball court. May god bless that red tyrant with a thousand and one defeats.

"Don't think so much. Just go!" the teacher was trying to usher him out, but Ogiwara was still reluctant to leave the room.

What if that minion of Akashi immediately went to report his escape to the snob? Every move could become futile, especially with that stupid Emperor Eye of Akashi. That brat could easily devise a plan to catch up to him, and then he would be dragged on court like an escaped prisoner up for execution. His brother-in-law would be trapped along side with him, and his poor, pregnant sister would wail in distress when she would learn about the plight of her little brother and husband. Oh kami-sama, this was too big of a risk. The mere thought it all was tearing up Ogiwara.

"But that guy could-," Ogiwara was still trying to warn the teacher of the impending dangers while resisting to be pushed out.

Takuo stopped in front of the closed door and took a breath. So much for having a worry-wart as a little brother figure.

"I got the dog on a leash, goddamn it," the elder confessed quickly.

"What?! How?" Ogiwara needed answers before starting his parade of praise. The elder male sighed.

"I told him to choose between failing his basketball captain or failing biology. As a third year student, his answer was pretty obvious," Takuo replied quickly.

"I know, pretty bad move for a teacher, but that's the least of our worries now. I don't want to see you make that sad puppy face anymore. Now out!" he continued after seeing the shock on Ogiwara's face.

Ogiwara gulped as he gave his brother-in-law one last look of pure admiration. Even after all the torture and endless teasing the elder male had to bear from him and his sister, Takuo-san was still helping him in his tough moments. Jokes and busted clicks aside, their bond was that strong. No tyrannical heir could threaten this familial bond. The husband of his sister was definitely the epitome of how family should be. Takuo-san definitely deserved an award for being such a good human being. Akashi Seijuro should just sit down next to his beloved brother-in-law a bit to learn about humanity and family values.

"You're the best," Shigehiro said, voice dripping with utmost sincerity.

"That's what she said," the other replied.

Takuo chuckled at his own joke and Ogiwara was forced out of the admiration stance he took for the elder male to roll his eyes hard at the lame joke. Way to ruin a perfect moment of rescuing. He was so going to narrate the whole thing word by word as it was to his sister later. Both of them made their way out of that suffocating room. While the assistant coach quickly ran towards the court, Ogiwara made sure to accomplish another thing before sneaking away. He turned around, slapped his own butt and yelled a loud "Kiss my ass, sucker!" to the player who was supposed to be guarding him before literally running away.

 _Offensively scandalous._ Ogiwara approved of his own actions.

* * *

In the meantime, Akashi Seijuro was getting the thrill of his life at the start of the game. The high pace of it was satisfying enough, but the cherry on top of it was Seirin's No. 10. Kagami Taiga was in the zone. At the very start, Taiga had been able to get in the zone. Akashi made a mental note to congratulate Daiki for successfully showing that technique to his rival. But right now, with the ace of Seirin in such a stance, every move became a bet and the possibility of being wrong was what Akashi wass completely set off against. He was finally up to some challenge. The short redhead silently smirked at the display of Taiga's meteor jam. It was about damn time for some serious game.

"Interesting... Zone, huh?"

It did not take long for the basketball emperor to get kagami back in line. Akashi was not someone to avoid assumptions, and he had pretty well laid out the whole play, Taiga being in the zone or not. The moment he set himself against the Seirin ace, his psychological play and strategic moves would be set in motion, as well as the time bomb that would diffuse Taiga's zone. Akashi was a man who lost no time in doing his job. He laid his trap perfectly, and Kagami fell for it. That was the price to pay for underestimating his Emperor Eye.

"Your head is too high." With this, the Seirin ace should get out of the zone and down on his knees in front of the basketball emperor.

The first quarter ended with a tie, just like Akashi predicted. Another prediction of his that was on point was the uselessness of Seirin's trump card. Tetsuya's lack of presence was no more an issue on court. In fact, Akashi pleasantly watched the blue haired player slowly hit the nails in his own coffin while expanding his skills and abilities. His calculations were eerily accurate, with the buzzer beat of Tetsuya in the semi finals marking the end of his phantom presence on court. Tetsuya was as noticeable as any other player, and his tricky moves all in vain. Now that they have gotten a taste of Seirin's full power, everything will just become a trampling session, with Tetsuya witnessing everything from the bench.

"We now fully know what Seirin is capable of," Shirogane-sensei started. "There is no issue to go according to plan for the second quarter. Got that, Akashi?"

It was finally time for the psychological war of this sport to begin.

"Yes. From here it will only be a trampling... Kotarou, Ekichi, Reo, I'm going to have you guys score," Akashi started his recap on the plans.

"We will get the ball moving. We did not use it with Shuutoku because there was a player with Hawk Eye but if we're against Eagle Eye which doesn't have as much visibility, there is a route we can use," Akashi reasoned.

It was time to reveal Rakuzan's trump card.

Akashi kept his usual poker face on while letting Mayuzumi steal and pass the ball to Rakuzan. The roar that exploded through the crowds and the shock on Seirin's player face was rewarding, to say the least. His efforts were finally bearing their fruits. Tetsuya was no longer sitting on that bench, and Akashi observed, with mild interest, the look of complete disbelief on the bluenette's face while Mayuzumi showcased his misdirection. A special ability that only the Emperor Eye could spot and train to blossom. The birth of the new phantom player on court. Seijuro had to struggle a bit to avoid smirking at the face that Tetsuya was making. Every little thing he did to arrive at this point was completely worth it.

"Can it be... the same as Kuroko?" Seirin's point guard mused aloud.

"It is slightly different," Akashi corrected him.

He had to savour the explosion of the bomb that he just dropped on Seirin and Tetsuya, and correcting their slight misunderstanding about his #5 player seemed to be the right way to do so.

"He has the same traits as Tetsuya. But his basic specs are all one notch higher," the redhead paused to let the horror sink in his opponent.

"In other words, Tetsuya is the previous model. Mayuzumi Chihiro is the new model of the phantom sixth man."

* * *

Seijuro was slightly getting frustrated. He was glad that the head coach caught on his signal to call for a time out.

Everything went on perfectly fine during the second quarter. He had managed to work with his team accordingly to break the hope in each and every Seirin player, one by one, starting with the battle of the shooting guards on both teams. Hyuuga was the ideal first prey, with him being the pillar of the high morale of Seirin. Some of his team members found it cute, but Seijuro could not help but think of it was a flagrant weakness. It only took him to successfully bring the spectacled player down in order to shake the whole team. Mibuchi was on point with his foul play game, and sending the black-haired captain back to the bench with Rakuzan's four point play was all but unexpected. Everything that followed during that quarter showcased the absolute superiority of the Rakuzan players over Seirin, something that Akashi had absolutely no doubt about. It was fun while it lasted, he thought as he observed the hope in the team slowly fading out.

But, as Seijuro expected from him, Tetsuya was anything but hopeless. While the red heir was busy on court, the bluenette spent his time observing the new phantom player on court. Akashi was silently glad to see the hope still alive in the bluenette's eyes when he came back on court in the third quarter. It was going to be a real challenge, to get rid of that little hope that Tetsuya liked to cling on so much. Seijuro was sure of it, but that's where the thrill would come from. If the original phantom player was back on court, the least he could do would be to expect some tricks under his sleeve. After all, as the announcer said, Tetsuya was indeed the original trickster on court.

That marked the moment when his plans for the rest of the game began to slowly spiral down. Tetsuya's addition on court, with him marking Mayuzumi, was making things _too_ easy for them. Silent bells began to ring in Seijuro's mind as he watched the progress of the match and the phantom players' interactions. Something was definitely going on, but Seijuro decided to go with the flow.

The emperor captain caught a whiff of the intentions of the blue-haired player a moment too late. He was quick to notice the fact that Mayuzumi was the one scoring all the baskets for a while, but was not quick enough to realise that this was _not_ based only on the fact that Chihiro was the one most likely to fail at scoring in their team. The process of overwriting Rakuzan's phantom player was already set in motion, and Seijuro realised, with a bitter taste in his mouth, that it was only a race against time till it could be complete. However, the moment Chihiro would notice the misdirection of Tetsuya reappearing, the greyhead should be able to accurately deduce his situation. Akashi presumed that Chihiro would be smart enough to remain in the shadows and stop scoring the moment he realised his poor, pathetic position on court. The fact that the new phantom allowed the situation to scale to such extent was already pitiful enough. Seijuro shot a glare at the greyhead to get it in his head that he should be cautious. As long as the overwriting was not complete, everything would go as predicted.

 _What a pathetic overestimation he made about the new model of the Sixth phantom player_. Akashi gritted his teeth in frustration as he watched Chihiro make that pass and go for the basket. The fact that the elder player fell for such an amateurish, basic trap made the red-haired captain groan in frustration. The following move that Taiga made to protect the basket made Chihiro's mistake even more pathetic for the basketball emperor. Five more minutes were left in this third quarter, and his trump card auto-destroyed himself like some foolish amateur.

And this led to why he was glad that Shirogane-sensei asked for a time out. Things were taking a new, drastic turn, and this called for a change in tactic now that their trump card was neutralised.

At least Seijuro had a hidden card inside. The basketball captain smirked slightly as he signalled for one of the boys to call _him_ out. In the meantime, he approached the poor excuse of a phantom player in his team to get him back in line. Sure, the latter dug his own grave the moment he kept on scoring and fell for Tetsuya's trap in the last minute, but he still had something planned for him. After all, the fact that his misdirection was no more working could still bring a change in their favour, as taxing as it could be.

"Akashi?"

From the looks of it, Chihiro was expecting to be subbed out. _Too bad_ , he would have to swallow the little dignity he had left and move on with his plans.

"Just like Reo and the rest said, that play was a disgrace," Akashi stated, feeling his eyes glowing at the grey head. "It would be merely a matter of course to sub you out."

"However," Akashi noticed the surprise in Mayuzumi's stance, yet continued. "I still need your help. I'm not going to bench you here."

"A plate can never be fully restored once it has a crack, But if it is still usable, what we have now will suffice."

The shock that appeared on Mayuzumi's face following his _logical_ statement was nothing new to the tyrant captain. He did not care about the player's pride or whatever stupid feelings. This was the least that Chihiro could do to cover up for his painfully blatant mistake. He could still use the phantom player to make the passes efficiently, and he was going to do so rightfully. This was the price that Mayuzumi Chihiro would have to pay for being such a digrace.

"For the sake of Rakuzan's victory, I am counting on you," he ended his little talk while patting the elder player's back.

As he made his way back to the bench, Akashi slightly frowned at the sight in front of him. The benched player, along with that _idiot_ he had placed to guard Shigehiro were both back and the little brunette was no where in sight. The looks of despair in their eyes were saying more than enough.

"O-O-Ogiwara-s-san es-scaped," the guarding player stuttered while apologizing.

One glare from the tyrant captain was enough to drive both of them away. Akashi's slight frustration was growing, and it annoyed him to think about it. His trump card's ability was torn in front of him and his hidden card disappeared in thin air. Ogiwara Shigehiro did it. That little pest had the galls to disobey him. Seijuro felt a sudden anger flare up in him. No one could be trusted in this bloody team. Chihiro fucked himself up, and now Shigehiro was gone. The despair he was so anticipating to see on Tetsuya's face when Ogiwara was planned to make his appearance... Akashi gritted his teeth at the thought of losing such an opportunity. He could feel his calm slipping away like sand between his fingers the more he thought about it, but the redhead closed his fist and put a stop to it. Such a train of thought would only be toxic to the game. He would have to deal with the little weakling later. For now, he could not afford to let Shigehiro and his little escapade distract him.

Indeed, no one could be trusted in his team. They were all so fucking _useless_.

The overwriting of Mayuzumi was only the beginning. Akashi still managed to control himself when he witnessed Hayama lose his calm over a simple, childish taunt from Seirin's point guard. This was disgusting enough to watch, especially when he clearly warned the blond to not make a mistake. The dribbler fell for Seirin's trap again, and Akashi did not even need to speak about the shift of the scoring play from him to Reo. At least the blond had enough brains to deduce that. Akashi could see the hope returning in their opponent's eyes. No one among the opponent team was sporting the usual dead look. Everything was still a gamble as long as they had their shining eyes, but Akashi was taking no risk against his victory. _He had to win._

Hayama was not the last one to be shaken on court. Seijuro felt his whole body go rigid for a second when he saw that glasses captain of Seirin block the Void shot of Mibuchi. The paralysing Void shot of the shooting demon was nullified by a player with _four_ fouls, and Nebuya's muscle rebound did not work at the same time. Seirin had the ball, and Seijuro could only stay silent and observe his team mates being such a _disgrace_ to the team. Seirin's competitive sense was no joke, indeed. The least he could do was acknowledge that. But if they thought that this was enough to conquer over him, they were still ages too early. The loop shot of Seirin captain was commendable and Taiga's Zone was still a hindrance to his movements, but it would not be enough to defeat him. Akashi Seijuro was always bound to win.

It was time to discard himself of all those useless pawns in and out of the court. He could rely on his own self to assure his victory. Everyone else was _always optional,_ to begin with.

"Allow me to teach our difference in social standing to all individuals on this court." Akashi pushed open the door to _it._

"Hold on there, Akashi!" Kagami tried to catch up to him, but it was too late the moment he caught the ball.

"You've defied me for this long... it's not enough to merely have you sit," Akashi whispered as he worked his way.

"On your knees," he ordered as the two defense players fell for his ankle break.

"Stay in that pose of admiration and realise that _your defeat is absolute_."

Akashi Seijuro was in the Zone.

No one would get in his way towards victory now, not even his own team mates. He was going to throw down every single person standing on the court as he worked his way up. This was his own trump card for winning. His absolute ultimatum. His unflawed equation for victory. No one could beat his eyes that could see the future. His Emperor eye was absolute. His fast pace track towards the basket was momentarily stopped by the rookie duo of Seirin but whatever trick Tetsuya was planning to use, it would be futile in front of his Emperor Eyes. _Impossible..._ That cannot be! Why was Kuroko at his destination earlier than him? How could he, the almighty beholder of the Emperor Eye lose the ball to a phantom player?

A turnover?

This was not happening. It had to be a fluke. Seijuro was not going to let them gain that momentum. He stopped thinking and focused all his energy in stopping Kagami. In a flash, he found himself confronting the ace for the ball but the phantom player of Seirin again managed to steal the ball. This was not happening. Akashi caught up with the pace and went to block the alley-hoop. _All in vain._

Seijuro was feeling so foreign on the floor after losing the aerial battle against Kagami. How could this be happening? He had every thing in check, every movement predicted. Nothing was supposed to turn the way it was right now, even after him abandoning his own team mates. He was Akashi Seijuro, the one man-island. Losing had no place in his life. Victory was the very reason he was born. How dare those two come against him and mock all his previous achievements in a mere couple of seconds? He could not afford to lose! Everything earned in victory would be lost in defeat.

 _The quasi-Emperor Eye._

Akashi felt his heartbeat increase frantically as he thought of it. The possibility of it was frightening, enough to make him falter in his pass and miss a basket. He was starting to lose sight of his guaranteed victory with this new ability of Kuroko. What was he living for if he could not win? The short redhead fell out of the Zone the more he thought about it. Everything was a real gamble now. He was equally accountable for a possible defeat, and he absolutely could not digest this fact. Akashi Seijuro and a defeat could never mix, would never happen. But just now.. he tried to score and could not. He tried to stop his opponent and could not. This was the first time.

The first time in his entire life that he could sense defeat.

 _You're at your limit._

Akashi froze. _That_ voice. Why was it coming back? The red haired captain began arguing with that voice in his head while moving on court. This was getting bad, and so mentally taxing along with the physical pain of playing at such a fast pace. He was not going to give in to that voice so quickly. His other self was gone. He should not be speaking now, _that meek_! Akashi felt his blood boil as he heard _it_ replying him again and again. This could not be happening now, not ever. That part of him was supposed to be gone, at the cost of their absolute victory.

He was torn in his thoughts, and yet absolutely refused to face the idea of giving in to _him._

One look round the court after Shirogane-sensei asked for a second time out was enough to let him know the way they were all feeling about him. The thoughts of his head coach were practically written on the wrinkles of his face, and for this reason, Akashi bowed his head down and refused to look at the elder male. He was going to get subbed out; it was the most natural thing for the coach to do.

"More like... Who the hell are you?"

The voice of Mayuzumi rung loud in his head as that question got repeated over.

 _Who am I?_ Akashi repeated again and again as he got sucked deep in his mind.

 _You are my weakness._ That voice answered back.

He began fighting it back again. He was not going to give in to _him_. He was born out of the need for victory, and was going to survive for the achievement of it. He could not afford to lose his place to someone who accepted the possibility of defeat, of weakness.

-What do you know? You stepped down as one of the meek! Akashi screamed in his mind.

 _Only seeking victory, abandoning everything else... I lost sight of why I wanted to stand strong. And now, you're about to make the same mistake._

Akashi went rigid at the logic behind _that_ voice, and the risk of him committing the same mistake _twice_.

 _Maybe because we faced Kuroko, I can't hold back the urge to win._

Akashi felt a inner peace settle as he heard the voice and accepted the reality of it. He felt completely calm and collected as he opened his eyes again. More importantly, he was back being himself, his real self, and the whole team could sense the chance and tensed up instantly. Akashi took in the sight and felt in his skin. There was still hope, especially after getting at peace with himself. The tables would finally begin to turn for the final showdown, and everyone surrounding him could feel it.

"Who, you ask? That's outrageous," he retorted amusingly, tone completely different and new to his team.

"You're..." Mayuzumi lost his voice in shock.

"I'm Akashi Seijuro, of course."

* * *

The moment he dived in the crowd to make his way out of the stadium, Ogiwara was trapped. He might have been feeling completely repulsed by the mere thought of playing basketball during the last months, but the sudden sporadic loud cheers of the crowds and the tension and thrill in each and every person in the stadium caught up to him. Ogiwara could not resist the urge to peek at the court and approached the rail for a better view. The scoreboard came in his view first, and from his first glance on the court, he was stuck. _Curiosity killed the cat._

He was completely drawn in the high-levelled, fast pace of the game. Every one was taking their claws out even though it was only the second quarter. Time ticked away and Rakuzan showcased their superiority in skills. For the first time, he got to observe the uncrowned kings' abilities in such a circumstance and to say that he was shocked would be a big ass understatement. They were all monsters, following the path of the devil incarnated in the form of their captain during the play. Mayuzumi-sempai's passes were only adding fuel to their blazing lead, and Ogiwara felt his chest tighten as he witnessed the hope in Seirin slowly fade. It was downright praiseworthy the way they never completely gave up though. It reminded him of his last match, and if this was how they were truly playing at that time, then he felt a bit less regretful for missing that last basket.

As the siffle went off to signal the end of the first half, Ogiwara turned away only to and jumped in surprise. Mochida was standing silently next to him.

"I know how you feel... let's stick around till the end of the match." His former captain did not have to say anything more.

Ogiwara watched the second half of the match with loud interest, to say the least. He was 120% convinced that Mochida-san would be returning home with a deaf ear from all his screaming, and he did not mind it at all. The brunette felt a sudden bout of adrenaline shoot in his bloodstream as he witnessed the strategy of Kuroko in overwriting Mayuzumi-sempai. It was such a delicacy to his eyes, and the hope that filled Seirin after it was clearly visible in the game. One by one, each of the Uncrowned Kings got shaken up by the solid team play of their opponent.

He was so into following Seirin's play that it took the little brunette some time to sense the rigidity of the tyrant captain. He remembered requesting god every freaking night to make that snob face a defeat in his life, and now that he thought more about it, he sent a silent prayer for it to not be as ruthless as his own defeat against the generation of miracles. Ogiwara knew that he was no saint, but he was not evil enough to wish such misery upon his enemies. Oh well, he could not allow himself to get as low as Akashi Seijuro. Yes, that red brat was still his enemy and yes to the square, Ogiwara would cheer in his loss. It was about high time for a certain Akashi Seijuro to descend from his high delusional throne if you asked for his opinion, and Ogiwara knew damn well that many other people would agree with him on that. Now that Seirin got back to a position of strategic bargaining following the sudden spike in their confidence, the brunette could not help but feel hopeful.

Akashi went in the Zone and long story short,every kid around Ogiwara were herded away from him because of all the profanities that came out of his mouth about the red snob. He despised and was absolutely disgusted by the way Seijuro abandoned his team mates as soon as he went in the Zone, _and boy_ was he vocal about it. He even noticed Mochida taking a few steps away from him but the brunette was quick to catch up to him in order to have him approving with his opinions over the whole situation.

Ogiwara sighed in relief as he noticed Akashi lose his calm over the rookie duo of Seirin. The way Kuroko outwitted Akashi's Emperor Eye made the little brunette fanboy so hard that he even questioned his sexuality for a moment. _Oh fuck it_ , he could probably go gay for Kuroko. Kuroko Tetsuya officially made an entry in Ogiwara's list of Superheroes to worship, with his magical power being the quasi-Emperor eye that was able to send the tyrannical villain of Rakuzan down on his butt. His sidekick? Well obviously that would be Kagami, _duh_. Such a dumb question.

Seirin had finally gained momentum and Ogiwara was on his toes, quite literally. His initial repulsion about watching the whole game flew out of the window. He was impatient to see the victory of Kuroko, and even shed a couple of tears when he noticed his wristband on Kuroko. Kuroko was such a great friend, but his pathetic self had to be all butthurt over a sore loss and ran away from such an incredible human. Ogiwara felt angry at himself, but was still unsure if he wanted to meet Kuroko. He felt so utterly weak as he recalled about the horrible way he coped with his defeat. Was he really worth of Kuroko's friendship?

The brunette was dragged out of his depressing thoughts as Rakuzan called for a time out. It was finally time for Akashi to place his bums on the benches and be subbed out. Ogiwara snickered evilly as he thought about how the little snob was trying to drag him out to be a bench-warmer. Karma sure worked in amazing ways.

Needless to say, Ogiwara was shocked speechless to see the captain getting back on court. He felt a lump forming in his throat as he watched the calm composition of Akashi when the game restarted. Akashi Seijuro was _different_ and it was sending cold chills down his spine. The game that followed was atypical, with Akashi being the one acting as some some of table-turner. His play was _too_ normal and confused Ogiwara. Everything became clearer when Mochida pointed out the way the other team members' skills were honing up. The pace that Akashi was setting was set on a perfect rhythm.

Ogiwara screamed in awe and frustration as the whole Rakuzan team enterred the Zone.

Seirin was already approaching the end of their physical capacities, with their ace's energy the most depleted. This was the best opportunity for Rakuzan to take advantage of the difference in their energy levels and optimise on the scoring. Ogiwara grunted in refusal; this was so frustrating. Not when Seirin was minutes away from their victory. This sudden turnover got the little brunette on the edge. He had to do something. He could not watch Seirin giving up now, not when they were minutes away from their victory. Ogiwara grew so restless that he felt his whole body shaking. The nerves and frustration at the timing of Rakuzan's table-turning play was getting to him. Rakuzan's play was living up to the ruthlessness of their title from the previous victories. The moment the whole crowd went silent following the foul of Kuroko, Ogiwara lost him calm and _did it_.

"Go for it, Kuroko! Don't give up!"

He screamed at the top of his lungs and grabbed everyone's attention- act that was definitely his piece of cake. The moment Tetsuya turned around to follow his awesome, raspy voice and faced him, he let out the brightest smile he could to encourage the bluenette. The power of a cheer was indeed indefinite. He cheered for Tetsuya as loud as he could to encourage him and when Mochida got the ingenious idea of rolling a basketball down next to his feet, he lost no time in picking it and holding it up in the player's direction. Who cares if he was slipping a little white lie in the logic of Kuroko by holding the ball like some goddamn trophy, as if he never quitted the sport? What was most important right now was to cheer for the victory of his childhood friend who had to prove a point against the captain of the other team. And yes, said captain was also very bad to him, so he deserved to be beaten up in the match.

The tearful grin that Ogiwara was rewarded with from Kuroko for his simple action made him feel complete. Maybe... just maybe he could really buy a new basketball and start practising his shooting and dribbling at home again.

Akashi sighed as he noticed his escapee in the crowd. For once, he did not lose his calm after hearing the loud voice of Shigehiro. That little brunette was indeed another force to be reckoned with. _Kuroko Tetsuya and Ogiwara Shigehiro_ \- no wonder they both clicked so well since childhood. They were both stubborn as a mutt and had a will of steel. One managed to jail his other self back in his mind while the other bailed out of his other self's wicked schemes right under his nose.

The initial cheer of Ogiwara led to a chain reaction, with other people standing up and cheering for the team. The moment the little brunette turned to face him from the crowd, Akashi was served with the ultimate narrow-eyed, pursed-lips bitch face with the bonus of one raised eyebrow from Shigehiro. ' _Taming me into your plans? Bitch, you thought'_ seemed to be the statement behind that look. That sort of display from the Ogiwara was not really new to the heir, but he had to smile at the courage that the brunette had to make such a face to him after blatantly wishing for his defeat. Akashi Seijuro had to admit it.

For once in his life, he had been outsmarted.

 **Additional Notes:**

 **This is the end that I originally planned** ** _before_** **starting to write the story. I really wanted to add a big background behind that appearance of Ogiwara in the original story, and thus I followed the canon plot so, it's a plot circle instead of a twist, I guess? I hope you liked it and that I did not disappoint you too much if you were expecting something else! I'm sorry in that case T^T**

 ** _After_** **starting to write the chapters and posting them, along with the reviews and suggestions i got from you guys, more ideas about the post-climax flew in, along with the possibility of working on an Aka-Ogi relationship, platonic or not. So, I won't be stopping here, definitely. There's more to come, but now that Oreshi is back, it's safe to say that a change in Akashi's perspective is to be expected.**

 **I was also thinking of stopping the story here and writing a sequel, but I grew attached to this one itself TvT I don't want to stop adding on the chapters. So.. I'll simply pick up from where I initially planned to end and keep up with the story. I shall not spoil y'all too much but... just imagine a scenario with the real Akashi, Ogiwara and her pregnant sister in the same room. XD**

 **EXPECT SOME TEETH-ROTTING FLUFF AND INSANE BOUTS OF HUMOUR. This is not the end!**

 **Next chapter will be probably dealing with the immediate aftermath of the match and a bit more. And soon enough(in one of the following chapters), Kuroko will appear, heuheuheu x) I won't say anything more.**

 **Till then, take care. I really hope you liked the story so far. AND A BIG SHOUT OUT TO ALL THE REVIEWERS. I SERIOUSLY CANT THANK YOU GUYS ENOUGH. THE AMOUNT OF MOTIVATION I GET FROM ALL OF YOU READERS IS UNBELIEVABLE. Now that I think about it... I hope I did not disappoint you with this climax ToT Forgive me if that's the case T.T**

 **Rates and reviews will so** ** _so_** ** _so_** **appreciated~ Especially after this chapter. I'm still so freaking nervous about how you will take this climatic part, so pretty please with a cherry on top, let me know? even by PM, it'll help me so much with my writing and how to proceed with the story now that i'm kinda changing direction with the plot.**

 **Thank you so much for reading so far! 3**


	21. Chapter 21

**Author's Notes: Hello! I did not take too long to complete the new chapter this time *patting myself in the back* Hopefully, it will answer to some of your questions, haha! x) I won't keep you for long.**

 **Enjoy the reading~**

"I don't understand."

This statement of Mibuchi summarised perfectly the situation of Rakuzan. The team had finally met with their first defeat; some of the players after a long, long, _long_ time and a certain person for the first time in his life. They could not completely grasp the sudden surge of pain and sadness in their chest- it felt so _foreign_ and uncomfortable. Some of them could not understand the brief feeling of betrayal they felt. They could not understand the fact that they, the upholders of consecutive victories, lost against a newly formed rookie team. However, they knew, all clear and neat, that all their feelings were related to their lost. For once, they were the losers.

The silence in their locker room was thick, except for the heavy breathing and some occasional sighs. The uncrowned kings were facing each other, still trying to digest the feeling of defeat, a feeling that they had grown so unaccustomed to. They found it even harder to breathe whenever they recalled about that one voice they heard that turned all tables. Ogiwara chose to cheer for their opponents. The brunette they had been treating and teasing like a little brother abandoned them in their most critical moment. The emotions from their defeat were already running wild and fogging their logic, making it harder for them to block out the feelings of betrayal they felt. They knew that the kid was forced into this mess, yet they did not expect that his presence would trigger such a dangerous turn of events for them. Gladly for them, Ogiwara was not currently present in the room. They were still unsure how to react in front of him now. Should they be hurt? Should they be understanding? Should they pretend like nothing happened?

"...Why did Shige-chan do that to us?" the shooter finally dared to voice out their concern.

No one reacted to the question for the first few minutes. The captain, who was sitting on the bench, kept his head low under the towel that was absorbing the sweat from his hair. He had the answers, but he yet had to muster the courage to reveal everything, his other self's carefully planned wicked schemes, to the team. He kept quiet, much to the dismay of the head coach and his assistant.

Takuo could only take a glance at Akashi when the question was heard. He was not sure if it was his job to narrate the reason behind Ogiwara's behaviour. After all, if the little brunette wanted to reveal his friendship with the teal-headed phantom player and its consequent degradation, he could have done so himself. The fact that they were ignorant about the whole ordeal could only mean that Ogiwara did not feel the need or want to tell them. He did not think of himself as the right person to break down the whole story to the other team members. The right to expose this dark reality to them was in the hands of the people involved directly in it- Akashi, Ogiwara or Kuroko. The teacher was not sure what really happened during the match but the drastic change in the redhead's demeanour was enough of a warning. Akashi Seijuro changed, and was having a hard time to deal with whatever was in his mind. The rest of the team would probably have to wait a bit more to have their questions answered.

There was one person among the regulars who was not taking any of it. Mayuzumi begged to differ from his team mates. Sure, he was a bit bitter from the defeat especially when they were so close to winning the championship, but he knew better than to question every little thing that happened during the match. Losing a match was not a novelty to him;he knew perfectly well how to suck it up and accept the situation- something that his team mates did not know how to do. Life was not only about winning; losing was also part of it. When Mibuchi started to vocalise his thoughts about Ogiwara, the senior player could only roll his eyes. The more he thought about the action of the brunette and how the others in Rakuzan were taking it, the more ridiculous it felt. After all, it was pretty obvious to their eyes since the summer camp that there was something going on between Ogiwara, Kuroko and Akashi. They might not know the details, but Ogiwara's action had to be related to it. It was only a matter of time till one of them would step in front and break it down to them. He _scoffed._

" _Why not_?" Mayuzumi finally retorted after a few heavy minutes of silence, earning the attention of the triple kings.

The look of feigned ignorance from the uncrowned kings after his rhetoric question irritated the phantom player. Those idiots could not be pretending to not get the whole point. Did he have to voice out the obvious now? Mayuzumi was already tired from all the bullshitting that occurred on court. He was quicker to let his presence felt here and his mouth loose than to play the invisible card. After all, he was not happy about the way they treated him on court. In fact, he was beyond pissed, but he wanted to maintain his cool-headedness as the only senior player in the team.

"It's not like he wanted to be here in the first place," he justified his previous snarky retort.

"But..." Hayama hesitated when he saw the look of annoyance flash on Mayuzumi's face for an instant but still chose to continue, "but why did he have to cheer for Seirin?"

"Maybe because you were all being complete cunts on the court?" And there went the greyhead's attempt to stay cool-headed.

Were they really trying to blame the little brunette's cheer for their lost now? Were they trying to account one little cheer from the crowd as their source of defeat? _They all needed to grow the fuck up._ Mayuzumi wanted to scream his head out. He felt his anger boiling at the shocked state of the triple kings, and did not even bother to look at the crouched-down captain. He was pretty sure that the sight would only contribute to his anger.

"Oh please, don't pretend like you were not playing dirty,"he continued, looking pointedly at Mibuchi. He recalled the foul that the black-haired shooter forced on Seirin's captain to paralyse his movement and get him out of the court. That move was disgusting enough. Mayuzumi did not even want to think about his own situation and forced the thoughts of a certain redhead out of his mind.

"Ogiwara probably saw the pathetic excuse of a game we were trying to pull and decided to cheer for the opponent. _At least they know how to respect their team spirit."_

Now that Mayuzumi started with his snappy replies to the painfully obvious questions of Mibuchi and Hayama, he could not stop his mouth. His emotions were getting the better of him as he let out the feelings of annoyance and plain hurt he felt while playing by their sides. He was treated like a piece of shit, goddamn it. He was tossed around like some broken tool by his juniors for the sake of their 'victory'. Well, that was the only result they could get for not respecting team play from the beginning. Mayuzumi felt inwardly glad that they lost after treating him like that. Their stuck-up selves deserved it.

"What are you trying to say?" Nebuya argued back.

The muscled player was not happy with the implication behind Mayuzumi's words, but the other two uncrowned kings remained uncharacteristically quiet after the last statement of the phantom man.

"Exactly what you're thinking."

Mayuzumi was done with voicing out things clearer for the others. He was the victim here. He was the one who had to swallow up the little pride he had left after taking up the role of the phantom player and still being treated like a complete, utter trash for one mistake. They all sucked at team play; and this was no new fact. Sure, Akashi did some weird ass trick in the end that managed to stick them back together for the last few minutes. It was nice while it lasted, but it was still too late. The damage had been done. Mayuzumi had had his skills being compared to a broken plate. What could be more insulting than that? They were all so freaking dense to not feel any sense of empathy about his pathetic situation.

"Wh-what did we do so wrong?" Nebuya sure had the guts when it came to defying people.

Mayuzumi scoffed again in disbelief and got on his feet to face the musclehead fair and square. For once, he could not care less about getting hit or overpowered by the other, because he was damn sure that he was right on his point. Hitting or crying would not change anything. They were wrong to him. And probably Ogiwara too.

"Please don't fight." The silent plea from the head coach was ignored.

"Stop pretending like you don't know shit," Chihiro replied snarly and watched the denial and anger flare in the other's eyes. Without giving Nebuya a chance to reply, he continued.

"Sure thing that Akashi managed to pull an apology and shit, but that does not wipe the fact that you were all absolutely heartless and cruel during the match." With this, Mayuzumi grabbed his stuffs and headed to the bathroom. He was so done with all of them.

Akashi's head snapped up at the ending statement of the grey-haired player. His eyes grew a bit wider as he registered the scene with the words of his senior. The senior player might have silently followed his apology and lead during the game, but the greyhead was clearly not pleased nor satisfied with it. He had more damage control to do than he initially thought. His other self, _bokushi_ had caused so much chaos. Mayuzumi might have tried to keep his emotions at bay while saying so, but he was clearly hurt from their behaviour and the others were finally becoming aware of it. The uncrowned kings kept quiet as they reflected on their previous actions that caused such a bitterness in their sempai's words.

* * *

Ogiwara froze next to the door when he heard the first question of Mibuchi.

He was on cloud nine ever since Seirin won the championship. After parading around with Mochida and asking random strangers if they heard his loud cheer while being the big ball of sunshine and happiness he was, he finally decided to go back to his brother-in-law and account, in deep details, the roller coaster ride his emotions went on during the final match. He was proud of his cheer and the sheer force it provided Tetsuya and his team with. His cheer was _the bomb_. He was so planning to fish for those compliments about his guts and courage for cheering out so loud for his childhood friend, until he heard the _hurt_ voice of the black-haired shooter.

The silence that followed the question sublimated all his giddy feelings of happiness. The real weight of his cheer finally fell on his shoulders. At the spur of the moment, he had completely forgotten about the fact that, though completely unwilling and forced to do so, he was still a member of the Rakuzan team. He still had his basketball jersey tucked discreetly under the loose sweaterpant and jacket he was wearing. He was pampered and loved by the team, except the captain obviously. But heck, he could not even recognize his friends in the team on court! They were all so different and just... frightening.

Ogiwara forced himself to see the clear and obvious logic behind his action. Rakuzan was brutal in their play, no matter how epic it was. After the switch in Akashi's behaviour, it was a bit better to watch, but he still chose to cheer for Kuroko. He had been led by his raw emotions to cheer for Seirin for their genuine team work and solidarity. The brunette tried so much to convince himself that he should not be feeling bad for that cheer against Rakuzan, but the guilt was catching up to him. He had betrayed his friends, _again._

The silence in the room following that particular question of Mibuchi was suffocating to the brunette. Ogiwara kept his presence hidden and quickly turned away from the room. He had to get out from this place for real now. Unfortunately, he was already gone before Mayuzumi started his little brunette refused to think about betraying his friends. He did not want to bring up some bad memories, but before he could control his thoughts properly, bits and parts of it started to pop up in his head. During his last match, it was his very cheer that led to everyone to keep faith in their team work and maintain their hopes high till the end. Only to have it crushed to ash and dust at the display on the score board in the end. If only he had not cheered for his team to keep their spirits up at that time, maybe they would not have been so devastated by the fact that their score was being fixed to the amusement of the generation of miracles.

And now, history was repeating again. He just could not keep his mouth under control and had to let out this loud cheer against his own team. Tyrant captain and forced membership be damned, the rest of the team were still his friends. The summer camp had been bearable thanks to them only, and yet he turned around and bit them in the ass as soon as he got the occasion. He deceived them, despite their bad behaviour and his close relationship to Tetsuya. He could not possibly go back to Akashi's mansion now. He did not want to face them. The guilt was already consuming his thoughts.

By the time Ogiwara started to gather his thoughts, he found himself sitting on a bench in the train station nearest to the stadium. Unconsciously, his feet led him to this place, in accordance with his final decision. His emotions were still edgy, his thoughts still fast paced and his fingers all fidgety when he took out his phone. Some time had passed since he left the stadium. Hopefully, his brother-in-law would be free enough to pick up the phone. After all, he had only one favour to ask the elder.

 _He only wished to go back home._

"Hello?"

Takuo was quick to answer the phone, not bothering to check the caller, in an attempt to break the tense silence that was set in the room after the departure of Mayuzumi.

"Sato-san..."

The elder male frowned at the tone of that voice. Ogiwara seemed to be disturbed. The deep breaths of the teen could be heard on the phone. The brunette was probably trying to calm his nerves to talk calmly. He heard the kid gulp loudly from the other side and tensed even more.

" _Oh shit_ ," the teacher muttered under his breath. Fortunately, it was not loud enough to be caught on phone, but he did catch the attention of some of them in the room. Takuo-sensei was _not_ someone who lost his calm so quick.

"Hmm.. I have a favour to ask," Ogiwara asked slowly, unsure.

Alarm bells began ringing in the teacher's head. _Ogiwara_ , the spoiled kid he pampered so much, was asking for a favour! This was so unusual and completely uncharacteristic of the little brunette. If the teen was in his right frame of mind, he would have cut short with the slacks and go directly into buttering mode to make him do the job. Asking for a favour so directly, that too with a slow and hesitating voice, could only indicate that Ogiwara was not thinking right. The teacher started to make his way out as he proceeded with the call. Unfortunately, the path was crowded, slowing him down.

"Shigehiro, listen to me first," he started off carefully, dropping the use of any nicknames to indicate his seriousness. Takuo did not notice the way everyone's eyes travelled on to him, but it was not like the teacher would care about it right now. His baby brother was not alright, and he had to make sure that he was not going to do some stupid stuffs.

"Are you alright?" Takuo asked as he finally got out of the room. He was still in the earshot range of the team, but it was faster to move away now. By the time Ogiwara replied, he was safely far.

"I don't know. I... I'm having some trouble with my thoughts." Ogiwara knew better than to hide the truth.

"Talk to me," the teacher urged Ogiwara, with a silent plea in his voice.

"I don't think it would be of any use to talk about it through the phone," the younger confessed. Takuo wanted to run to the kid and hug him in comfort.

"What's wrong?" he asked soothingly.

"I..." Ogiwara was struggling to find the words. "I heard Mibuchi-sempai... I don't want to face them right now."

If Ogiwara was having trouble with his thoughts, he probably missed the late rebuttal of Mayuzumi. Takuo wanted to groan in frustration at the thought, but he kept his calm. Ogiwara beat it to him before he could respond and soothe the kid.

"I want to go back home," Ogiwara declared, brave but still pleading at the same time.

A big sweeping sense of relief travelled through his body as Takuo heard Ogiwara's request. The teen wanted to go back to his family instead of facing his demons alone. The fact that Ogiwara was already relying on them instead of running away showed that the kid had really grown from the last time. This was much better than he was expecting, especially when Ogiwara heard Rakuzan talking about him after the match. Takuo did not hesitate one bit as he replied.

"That's totally fine, Shige. Do you want me to inform Shiori that you're coming over?" The teacher lost no time in comforting the little brunette. Takuo approved of the latter's action; in fact, he was glad that Ogiwara chose to head back to Shiori.

"Yes, please. And also, I won't be going back to the mansion... Can you take my stuffs along with you when you return to Kyoto?" The relief in Ogiwara's voice was evident to the ears of the teacher following his quick approval. At least the teen was feeling a bit better.

"Yeah, sure. Do you have enough money with you to pay for your ticket?" Takuo inquired.

"Yes," Ogiwara confirmed. The teen was back on his feet to do the necessary, a new surge of energy bursting in him as he thought about his parent's home.

"Good. One last thing," the elder quickly racked his brain for an activity that could get the little brunette completely engaged and not let him sit idle during the long train ride. An idle mind is a devil's workshop and Ogiwara would be better off with a distraction, no matter how petty it sounded.

"I need you to make a list of all the stuffs you bought in Tokyo. I need to make sure that I don't leave anything behind in the Gorgon head's mansion."

Takuo was proud of him and his quick brain. He recalled those big ass shopping bags the kid dropped near the entrance of the dinning hall last night. Surely, it would take almost an eternity to recall all the stuffs found in it. The loud whine of protest from the other side was more typical of the lazy Ogiwara he knew. He was glad that the kid was getting his spirits back but still hung up only after making the younger promise to him that he would text him the complete list of his shopping haul.

His task was no where over, though. He had to call his fury lady. Takuo headed back to the locker room to check the situation inside and was glad to see that most of the kids had already hit the shower. The only ones present in the locker room was the infamous basketball emperor and the head coach. Shirogane-sensei lost no time in enquiring about Ogiwara. Takuo was quick to admit that the little teen was a bit shaken up.

"He won't be coming back for today," Takuo said. From the confused and concerned look on Shirogane-sensei's face, he elaborated.

"Shigehiro is on his way to my in-laws... I need to call Shiori to inform her," Takuo sighed while finishing his explanation.

"Good luck with that, son," the head coach could only say that much before heading out to complete any remaining formalities.

The only person remaining in the locker room was a distressed Akashi Seijuro with his head hung low. Takuo contemplated on making his way out again but finally settled on making himself at ease in the very same room for the next phone call he was about to make. He had the privacy required now that most of the team members were away, except for the captain. Akashi was probably too lost in his own thoughts to actually follow his next phone conversation, _right_?

* * *

So much happened in so little time.

All his predictions had flew out of the window, and heck! He even managed to switch back to his original self. On that part, he was glad about the unexpected turn of events. The psychiatrist had indeed been right about him, but thankfully his long, painful episode of a Personality Disorder was finally over, Akashi hoped so. He could still feel his winning freak persona in the back of his mind, but the latter seemed tamed and well... _defeated_. At least he had the control back. His decisions would not be as horrific and painful as bokushi's were.

Akashi felt a deep pang in his heart as he thought about the poor decision making he witnessed while bokushi was in control. So much was sacrificed at the cost of victory. The Generation of Miracles had gone haywire, a vast amount of person were hurt in the process and he actually drove Tetsuya, of all people, away from the group. Tetsuya was relentless on court against them, and the redhead was actually glad that the phantom player succeeded in his strive to make them see light.

He was not glad at his own defeat though. His two personalities might be different in their tactics, but Akashi Seijuro would always emerge as a winner at the end of the day, irrespective of which side of his was dominating. Now that he had finally faced defeat, he could describe it as an immense pain and tightness in his chest. He had had his first lost. How was he supposed to face his dad from now? Would he be required to quit the sport? Akashi recalled the wariness and hidden concern of his dad ever since bokushi emerged... Maybe it would not be so bad as he was presuming it to be. His real self was out and free now, at least that much could placate the CEO of the Akashi Corp- his son was no more a complete freakshow who would throw out threats like candies to get his work done in the office. He had his emotions back now, no matter how shaky and unstable they were at the moment. Akashi Seijuro was still a strong person; he just needed some time to sort himself out.

The little grip he had managed to get on his emotions since the end of the match vanished as he listened to the heated row that suddenly broke out between Takuo-sensei and his wife.

"He's going to be fine, Shiori! Listen to m- " the teacher went quiet abruptly as he listened to the other side.

 _Did that mean that Ogiwara was not fine right now?_ Akashi frowned slightly under his towel. His train of thoughts about sorting out his emotions met with an abrupt stop as he listened to the agitated teacher. If only he could listen to the other side of the conversation to get a proper understanding of the situation. He did heard the teacher announcing that Shigehiro was going back to his parent's place. Did something bad happen? Was it not only because the brunette was afraid to face him after escaping under his nose? Akashi made a mental note to avoid assuming every little stuff as he continued listening to the other male in the room.

"No! Akashi did not do anything to him. Nothing went according to his plans," Takuo quickly added.

"Will you finally listen to me?!"

The elder male was obviously losing his patience. From the frantic way the teacher was proceeding with his conversation, it was pretty obvious that his wife was not really listen to him. Akashi deduced that the lady was probably losing her shit from the sudden turn of events.

"Shiori, will you please stop? Why am I at fault in this?!"

"I put my ass on line and sneaked him out! I literally put my whole career in danger to get Shigehiro out of the place! You cannot blame me for not doing enough, can you?"

Akashi was glad to gather another piece of information about Ogiwara's little escapade. At least he now knew who was behind the little stunt he pulled by getting out. Not that the redhead had anything against the teacher for doing so. The basketball captain was inwardly glad that the little brunette managed to escape from him instead of getting pulled into his wicked schemes. Prevention is better than cure, and he had already troubled the brunette and the assistant coach enough with his whims and tricks. He could not even fathom the extent of damage that would have been done if he actually managed to drag Ogiwara out on court.

"No, are we really doing this now? Are you really to have _this_ conversation now? We already talked about this bef- " the teacher got cut again.

"It's not that bad, Shiori. He just heard one of the kids talking about him and- "

 _Ohh._ Akashi was now getting a clearer idea on what might have happened. Shigehiro eavesdropped the conversation that broke out in the room. _No_ , that would be wrong. The redhead frowned slightly again, momentarily confused. If the brunette listened to the whole conversation, Mayuzumi rooting for him and serving some truth about their team play would have surely made him feel better. The little brunette probably heard only Mibuchi during his loud musing. Either way, Ogiwara must have become aware of the fact that the team members were confused over his little stunt. Akashi Seijuro had some accounts to clear; the Rakuzan team's regulars would be soon up for some story time.

"Calm down, babe. No need to call the psychiatrist."

A pair of red eyes widened at the mention by the teacher. _Psychiatrist? But why..._ Akashi instantly lifted his head only to be rewarded with the view of a slightly sweating Takuo-sensei from the side. The teacher did not notice him looking but was instead facing the wall while listening to his wife. Takuo-sensei looked quite exasperated from what he was listening. This was probably the second time he had seen the teacher so distressed, first being in the P.E room when he announced the club transfer of Shigehiro.

Akashi kept watching the teacher's agitated moves and bickering while he recalled another memory. The club transfer of Shigehiro and the discussion that followed in the P.E room that time. Akashi literally _cringed_ at the memory. The redhead was tempted to lower his head again as the guilt ate him. _How easily he had discarded the brunette's case of clinical depression and bulimia just because he recovered._ Seijuro felt his stomach turn as a deep pang of shame and regret hit him while he recalled the sharp words of his other self. Shigehiro had ultimately met with a potential trigger for a relapse here, after bokushi managed to drag him along. All the time, he kept quiet and witnessed bokushi create chaos after chaos in his pursuit of victory. He even slumped back and kept mum for such a long time instead of fighting agianst that twisted personality and reasoning of bokushi.

"No, I did not meet him after that. He called me and- " Takuo flew a hand to his head and scratched his head in frustration at being interrupted again.

"He said he will talk! Just not on the phone, that's why I'm saying tha-"

Akashi forced himself out of his thoughts and focused on the voice of the teacher. If the teacher was not panicking about the current state of Shigehiro like his wife was, especially after talking with the teen boy, the redhead could fairly deduce that whatever Shigehiro heard did not shake him up that much. Seijuro initially thought, if he learned that the little brunette would come out safe and clean despite the whole ordeal, maybe he could feel a bit better about the whole situation. Except, he did not. Seijuro could still feel the guilt heavy on his chest despite the continuous probing of the other male in the room that Shigehiro would be just fine. He was still the reason behind the fact that Shigehiro was running back home for help. He was the one to have caused such a distress in his life, his family's life.

"You just have to be here for him! It's a good enough sign that he's willing to talk about it. Can't you see that?"

"Exactly!" Takuo exclaimed and both males in the room sighed. Shiori had finally understood the teacher's point after all the freaking out.

"That's what I've been trying to say all the time! He's troubled, sure, but he won't be so for long. As long as we talk him out of it. You just have to be here for him. I'll try to see what I can do from here."

Akashi decided that he would give all his support to the assistant coach in that case.

"Oh dear! Will you please calm down for real this time? I don't think he'll relapse."

The redhead cringed again, this time at the choice of words of the other male in the room. They were all fearing of a relapse in the little brunette, and after a really long time, Akashi Seijuro _prayed_. He did not want history to repeat, all because of _his_ poor decision making. He was sure as hell that Shigehiro was a strong person, heck! That fury boy had been defying bokushi's order on every little occasion and entertaining him in the inside. He would not break at such a little provocating thought, would he? Akashi had done the mistake of underestimating the emotions of people once; he was not sure if he was willing to commit the same mistake again, this time by overestimating their strength. And thus he could only wish for the best, all while listening closely to the conversation going on.

"He's not keeping anything bottled up. He will be just fine. We just need to be by his side."

Akashi would be lying if he said that he was not envious of the Shigehiro's close proximity with his family.

The conversation was soon over, with Takuo-san probing his wife to hang up and prepare some stuffs to distract and entertain the teen that was reaching for them. Akashi kept his eyes on the elder male while he ended the call. Takuo slightly jumped in surprise when his eyes met with a pair of red irises. He was still not used to the fact that the frightening, heterochromatic stare was gone for real. Seijuro's yellow iris had switched to red, but the biggest reason behind the teacher's reaction was that the redhead was frowning slightly while looking at him. Akashi Seijuro was looking at him, with concern evident on his face. _What the fuck?_ Takuo was genuinely surprised. This was the first time that the almighty Akashi was sporting such a face, that too towards him.

"Is Shigehiro alright?" Akashi had to ask; he still needed the confirmation from the teacher.

Said teacher widened his eyes and gulped visibly at his question, but the teen could understand. This was probably the first time he was showing concern towards Shigehiro, but definitely not the last.

"He will be," Takuo replied with a small sigh, after getting over his initial shock.

Despite being completely aware of how much he had wronged the teacher along with Shigehiro, Seijuro could not muster the courage to apologise to Takuo, yet. Instead, he kept his head low and went to hit the shower as a feeble attempt to cool his head along.

That night, no one among the regular players slept, with the exception of Mayuzumi who passed out because of the exhaustion of running around all the time. Takuo-sensei felt like he deserved a drink after all the feats he pulled throughout the day. He hit the nearest convenience store and bought a pack of chilled beer, which he brought to his room. Drinking alone was indeed as lonely as it sounded and Takuo did not want to feel any other bad emotions for today. He had had his dose of stress and wariness, thank you. The young teacher invited Shirogane-sensei over to share his drinks with. An offer which, much to the surprise of Takuo, his former teacher agreed to in a blink. Thanks to the booze and the impending fatigue, both teachers found sleep quickly.

The events during that day and evening had clearly taken a toll on everyone.

 **A/N: I hope you liked the story so far. I wanted to get their(a.k.a Rakuzan's) feelings right after the match, especially Mayuzumi, being the one a bit different about the whole situation. Oreshi's feelings are a bit hard to capture and express properly in writing, since he's still Akashi but his personality kinda changed so... I hope I did justice to him! let me know, please?**

 **Thank you for reading my story!**

 **Rates and reviews will be much appreciated~**


	22. Chapter 22

**Author's Note: Hello!~ Sorry for the long wait. I won't keep you for long. Just know that in this story(i dont know if it's like that in the cannon too) Kuroko did not really tell Ogiwara about Akashi's personality switch in middle school so... I won't spoil what comes next.**

 **Enjoy the reading~**

Ogiwara was _fine_ , and if he had to repeat that one more time, he swore he would lose his shit. Sure, he was not really fine a couple of days back when he got to his parent's place. He even shed a few tears of distress and was close to calling the family lawyer to write a will in case he died because of the mental turmoil he was going through, but the latter was not really necessary because 1)he had no real property to begin with,except for his holy trinity - mangas, animes and k-pop merchandise- but it's not like he was going to leave the world without them(matter of fact, he would literally take all of them to his grave) and 2)he was not really going to die from his feelings and emotions, no matter how much he used to claim so. He was very vocal about his concerns this time, and his family made sure to _gently_ slap some sense into him. Hell! His sister even gave him a one-hour long lecture, with a power point presentation and flowcharts, in explicit details and a flawless logic, on how he did the right thing by cheering for Kuroko and how Akashi-brat Seijuro and his minions deserved it. How could he possible not feel better after that?

The exam period after the winter cup provided the much wanted peace that Ogiwara was craving for. After all the hullabaloo he went through during the tournament, Ogiwara embraced the 'stress' of last minute revisions and the time limit for each papers. _Oh_ , how much he wanted to laugh, love and appreciate that stress. That stress was pure, innocent, beautiful, nothing like the wicked one he experienced when he was dragged to the Winter Cup tournament. This kind of healthy stress was a nice change from the emotional constipation he had to deal with after the loss of Rakuzan. Now that he thought of this match again, Ogiwara felt the urge to cackle like a little kid who knew something he should not know. Rakuzan lost; next thing might be the sun rising from the West. Such an unexpected turn of events.

Another fabulous thing that came with the exams was the absolute unnecessity to socialise with the mass. Everyone was busy working their ass off to get the best grades; they all had a legit excuse to avoid talking to other kids in the block. And _yes_! God bless that one ingenious person who got the idea of arranging all students, irrespective of their class, in alphabetical order during the exams. A-kashi was in the first examination room and O-giwara was _not_ in the first examination room. This fact was enough to provide the little brunette with a peaceful sleep every night.

Ogiwara was not avoiding Akashi Seijuro, _per se_. But he could really manage his life well and fine without having to be reminded of that redhead's existence. Sure, he heard about the rumours that the basketball emperor had changed and _la di da di da_. He had some damn fine ears after all. He was not really keen to face the captain yet. No matter how hard he might deny it internally, he did kind of turn around and shit on the snob's face by cheering for Kuroko. He had no idea what to expect from any interaction with the club members now, and the least he could do was to save the awkwardness for later. Any kind of club activities was halted during exam periods, thank god. However, the little brunette choked on his own spit when he learned that the tyrant captain was trying to organise a farewell party in the club for their seniors. Not something that the brunette planned on attending, but that piece of news seriously made Ogiwara speculate a lot. The brunette was 70% convinced that Akashi Seijuro had hit his head with the basketball a bit _too hard_ during their last match.

The exam period was quick to end, a bit too quick in Ogiwara's opinion. He had successfully managed to not interact with anything or anyone related to basketball during the finals, except for his brother-in-law obviously, and decided to keep up with his attempt as _naturally_ as he could now that the exams were over. Only a few days were left till the winter holidays. Ogiwara thought of bunking the remaining school days to avoid any unnecessary interactions(something that her sister highly recommended), but he was too good of a student to miss class and _hello?_ He was blossoming social butterfly outside the basketball club, thank you. The majestic school kitchen was calling for him. He was not missing any cake recipes that he could put into much use in the approaching festive season. He had to make his provisions to fish out those compliments.

Ogiwara braced himself for the 'slack' week that followed the finals before the winter break. It was only the first day and he was so freaking happy to not freaking out as he entered the same class with the almighty Akashi in it. He had spent the weekend convincing himself that Akashi was not plotting his death, that the finals were not the calm before the storm and that he would be just fine. The little brunette did pull some fantastic little feats against the captain before, but the fact that he openly cheered for their loss did kind of make him want to wet his pants in the presence of the basketball captain. But he did not have to feel like that! His sister had so many prep talks with him, and Sato-san also kept reminding him that Akashi Seijuro was not that much of a danger anymore. Everything would be fine; he just had to carry on with his usual behaviour, and hopefully Akashi would sense his usual reluctance for any interactions between the two of them.

Ogiwara casually greeted his friends as he made his way to the back, successfully avoiding the eyes of a certain redhead who shifted his gaze from whatever book he was reading to him as soon as he opened his loud mouth. The little brunette cringed inwardly as he felt Akashi watch his movement, but he resisted the gravity that the redhead's stare was trying to exert over his own eyes. He was _not_ going to return that stare. The teen felt his pitch grow slightly higher in his desperate attempt to look preoccupied with greeting his friends in the back instead of looking back at the heir. The moment he crossed the seat of Akashi, he stopped feeling the weight of that particular stare on him and relaxed. Hopefully, Akashi would catch the signal that _no,_ he did not want to entertain any form of exchange with him.

After getting on his seat and making himself at ease, Ogiwara quickly joined the discussion that was happening in the back, post-exams opinions and feelings. He laughed with the group and agreed along that all the papers were a cup of tea. To be honest, he was lying through his teeth and smile but Ogiwara could not afford to say otherwise. He was a scholarship student, of all things, and this class was infested with mad geniuses and people that would probably change the world and its economy in the future. He made sure to remind daily to maintain a good bond with his classmates in order to ensure the safety of his older days. Akashi Seijuro was the awful exception to his reminder though. If that brat took the reigns of this country, he was going to move to Africa.

And speaking of the brat, Ogiwara felt a slight movement in the coordinates of the redhead. Ogiwara was not being super sensitive of the actions of a certain heir – _pssh_ \- no, not at all, but his eyes _nonchalantly_ noticed the redhead move. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Akashi stand up and turn into his direction. At this point, the little brunette was trying to play off like he did not just notice the red snob turning around to look at him and prayed to be somewhat decent in his little act of not internally panicking at those actions. The redhead would probably sit back at his apparent unresponsiveness in a couple of- _Oh sweet Jesus, he's coming over here_.

At this point, the class grew quieter and Ogiwara was bound to look in the direction of the approaching teen. The most striking feature that hit him like a fire truck was the pair of red-ruby eyes looking back at him. Damn, the yellow iris was really gone. Just like his brother-in-law kept fretting over, the deadly heterochromatic stare was gone. He heard about it a lot, but it was only now that he was witnessing it with his own eyes. However, this was not the time to be taken aback by the change in the eye colour of the red-haired teen. Akashi Seijuro was approaching him, of all people. The pair of red eyes were locked to his own, and Ogiwara struggled to not squeak like a frightened animal at the intensity of the situation. There was no need to be afraid of the heir; his sister had carefully pointed out all the reasons for not being afraid and feeling guilty for his little cheering stunt, with reason #1 being the fact that Akashi was a jerk.

The moment Akashi stopped in front of his desk, Ogiwara's mind went haywire. The brunette congratulated himself for his ability to maintain a 'poker' face, not that it was really stoic like he wished since he could sense the panic shadowing his eyes. Nevertheless, he kept his little frown on and pursued his lips tight, not because he was a tough guy who defied the devil incarnated multiple times but because he was not really trusting his mouth at this moment. He began reciting each and every prayer his parents had taught him in his head while wishing for a long life. He was not ready to die, yet. He had to be the godfather for the child that his sister was carrying. Akashi was still observing him; maybe he should ask the redhead if he was enjoying the view from the intense staring contest going on. On second thought, Ogiwara confirmed that it was better to keep his goddamned mouth shut.

After what felt like a horrifying eternity but must have been only a couple of seconds, everything passed in a blur. The moment Ogiwara noticed the redhead leaning towards him, he shrieked in such an ungodly way that he wished to revert back time and erase that unholy sound, slightly raised his arms in defence while pushing himself back so violently that his chair tipped off balance. He kind of expected the redhead to be mad at him, but to be violent on top of it? _Great, no hit on the head please_ \- were his last thoughts as he squinted his eyes shut and waited for the fall.

And god... did he fall down so unceremoniously. With the squeaking of the chair over the floor disturbing the silence in the room and a hot, resonating burn itching on his bums from the sudden fall. His head was safe, thankfully. Blame it on the redhead. Akashi Seijuro never let go of a chance to make him lose his cool. The emperor did not even have to do some fancy ankle break move to make him land on his ass. How ardently Ogiwara wished for the earth to open and swallow him up. But he had to know why the hell was his round, little ass cheeks kissing the floor and what were the real intentions of the Akashi heir behind this... interaction. Sure, his own chair betrayed him in the worst timing ever, but there had to be other _reasons_. As the tiny brunette opened his eyes, he was graced with the view of Akashi looking at him startlingly and - _wait, was he bowing?_

"I'm sorry." Akashi apologised.

Ogiwara let out the _ungodly shriek,_ _part two_. This time with the whole class accompanying him.

Akashi Seijuro was apologising to him. Ogiwara could only stare speechless at the display in front of him. He was on his bums, with his elbows pinning him upwards so that he was not facing the ceiling but the Akashi heir instead. And there the redhead was, bowing properly and asking for forgiveness. _Holy Shit-_ If the brunette thought that his brain went haywire before, then it definitely hit a system overdrive(or was it overheat? Well.. his brain was not functioning properly to recall the exact term) this time. Ogiwara mentally took out a white handkerchief and waved his sanity goodbye for the rest of the day and probably life too because who the hell would remain sane after receiving an apology, that too with a proper ninety degrees bow, from the Almighty Akashi?!

The silence that followed the words of the Akashi heir was deafening, to say the least. Akashi regained his straight posture after a couple of seconds. It was only when Akashi offered the brunette a hand to stand up that Ogiwara realised that he was still sprawled awfully on the ground. The little teen coughed in embarrassment and averted his eyes to look around and _yes_ , everyone witnessed the whole scene. There were even little groups of students from other classes who had formed near the door and window too. They managed to gather an audience, _great_. Ogiwara quickly grabbed onto the red heir's hand and stood up. He looked at Akashi again, and damn, he was still weirded out by those red eyes. Maybe he should sign that petition from the Akashi Fan Club to convince the heir to buy a golden eye contact.

 _Nope_. This was not the right time to think about such petty stuffs. Akashi Almighty Seijuro had asked for an apology, and was standing expectantly in front of him. It was common courtesy to reply back in such cases. The only issue was his voice. Ogiwara had not found his voice back, yet. He opened his mouth to say something but what could he possibly say? The self-acclaimed Absolute Akashi was admitting his mistakes. Ogiwara gulped loudly. _This was it-_

The world was going to end. This was the beginning of the Apocalypse. That's why the devil incarnated was repenting for his sins. They were all going to die.

Ogiwara knew that it was a wrong idea to watch the 2012 movie yesterday; his mind was filled with apocalyptic thoughts now. He forced himself out of that train of thought and jumped on another line almost instantly. Was this really the Aka-snob? Was the brat well? How the hell did he manage to curb his posture into a proper bow and produce a string of sounds that equated to the words of an apology? Last time he checked, Akashi Seijuro did not have such capacities. The heir was supposed to be anything but humble. So, how? What happened? Did the basketball hit his head too hard? Someone call the doctor immediately. Akashi required immediate intervention. His health was probably in danger.

Ogiwara closed his mouth.

His thoughts were still all over the place, and enquiring about the health of the heir after his apology would be offending to the eyes of anyone. He opened his mouth again to say something because he was bordering the time limit, and knew that stretching the wait for a bit longer could be considered rude and offensive in the eyes of the – _oh shit,_ the fan girls of the brat. All the words he had thought evaporated from his open mouth as he let his eyes travel to the audience. He was quick to spot the hard glares and narrowed looks being thrown at him. After all, Ogiwara was having someone akin to a godly figure apologising to him. And no one wants to see their god bowing down to some measly human being like him. They were probably already plotting his death in his head. The members of the unofficial fan club of Akashi Seijuro were scary as fuck, with the fanboys being even more frightening than the girls. He would have been able to live in peace without their attention, but now that he caught their eyes, it was only a matter of time.

Scratch the idea of the end of the world, he was the only one that was going to die. By the hands of the worshippers of Akashi Seijuro.

Ogiwara closed his mouth again.

His reeling mind was not going on a vacation anytime soon, but Ogiwara knew of a word that he could always rely on in those extreme cases.

"Okay."

Ogiwara observed intensely as Akashi blinked once, with confusion splattered over his face. The redhead blinked again and set on his usual poker face before nodding and going back to his seat. The class remained silent till class started, during class and even after class, but goddamn it, Ogiwara's mind was anything but silent. The Akashi heir had asked for forgiveness, in front of a crowd, which included his worshippers. Was this a plot of revenge? Was the snob trying to get back to him by setting his minions against him? Ogiwar doubted so... Akashi Seijuro had a pride even bigger than the Mount Everest. He probably would not allow himself some help from others while plotting a personal revenge. This side effect must be a big ass tactical failure in his attempt at saying sorry. The consequences were still too much for Ogiwara to handle. The little brunette needed to have a good grip on himself and arrange his thoughts. This was probably the most overwhelmed he felt in this year, even beating the news of his sister's pregnancy and his own cheers to Kuroko.

Seijuro, on the other hand, was anything but overwhelmed. He had been silently musing on how the brunette would respond to his apology, and it was, as expected on his part, unexpected. Akashi had to resist the urge to chuckle at the baffled state of Ogiwara following his words. The abrupt fall was a bit worrying at first, but what followed nonetheless amused the redhead. The teen kept opening and closing his mouth like a fish in water. He was inwardly glad to have rendered the fury boy with a snappy mouth speechless for once. The heir was slightly taken aback by the hesitant 'okay' that Shigehiro threw to his apology, but from what he saw, the little teen had many stuffs going on his mind, probably with his apology as the trigger to them. He could accept that for now. He knew that this was not the last time they would talk about this. Until the brunette properly accepted his apology and forgave him, he would keep up with his attempts.

And god forbid, Seijuro could not lose this battle for redemption at any cost.

 **A/N: the first meeting between Shigehiro and Oreshi! What do you think?! :D**

 **I hope you liked the story so far. Thank you for reading it ^^**

 **Rates and reviews will be much appreciated~**


	23. Chapter 23

**Author's Note: Hello! Sorry for taking sooooo long to update! I'm currently in the process of moving to a new place(a new country!) and I've been really busy with all the procedures and packing and emotional last rendez-vous going on here. I'll be going abroad alone to pursue my studies in literally two days *high-pitched squeal* and things will probably get more hectic in the times to come.**

 **I am NOT dropping this story though. The updates will be a bit more irregular, and I apologize in advance for making you wait! A special thank you to all the favorites, followers and the reviewers. The reviews are so so so appreciated and motivating I cant even begin to explain. This chapter was catalyzed by a review actually!**

 **This chapter is a bit short, but I could not find time to properly slap the following idea on my keyboard so I'm posting it like that. I hope you enjoy the reading~**

If Ogiwara thought he could successfully avoid the sight of any of those basketball club members during the last week of the term, he was sorely mistaken. All because, winning freak or not, Akashi Seijuro was even more stubborn than his pregnant sister. Shigehiro could tell this much from his own first hand experience. After getting over the absolute shock of being asked for forgiveness by the Almighty Akashi in flesh and bones, the little brunette yet had to face his polite smiles and kind words time and again. The redhead was obviously trying to make things pleasant and friendly between them- something that the brunette did _not_ remember signing up for. Surely, he would be less surprised if he was spanked by the captain rather than having to face his friendliness after cheering so loudly for their loss. This new personality of Akashi may be polite and all but Ogiwara still found him to be creepy as fuck, even without the golden eye.

And not to forget, the absolute wrath he had to face from the tyrant's fan club. _Oh Lord, have mercy_. He had read enough mangas to check for the dangers and avoid any subsequent damage from all the shade and hate being thrown at him through some passive bullying. So far, he had managed to pick out three blades from his indoor shoes instead of having his feet slashed by them. The death threats and scary letters were subtle and obviously hidden from the Akashi, since the fan club members could not really afford to cross Akashi's humble decision of befriending him. Ogiwara was not really sure if Akashi was aware of the complete mess his fan club was causing to him; if he came to know that the redhead knew about it, he'd personally make sure to let the redhead know that he could shove his friendship request up his arse.

A couple of days after struggling to avoid any accidental death by the hands of the Akashi fan girls, Ogiwara was done. So freaking done that he grabbed the redhead's wrist and dragged him out of class to have a little talk. Yes, he made a scene before school even started. His life was getting more dramatic than the final match of the Winter Cup. This might be a slight exaggeration, but he was really feeling that way right now. His patience was running thin, and the slight smile that Akashi greeted him with as he entered the class threw him off. That devil could not smile at him like that after he just fished out the fourth pair of blades in his shoes. He was pissed beyond belief.

Akashi was taken by surprise when the little brunette dragged him out of the building. He tried to suppress a smile as he recalled the last time he was dragged along like that. The feisty older sister of Ogiwara was the last person to treat him so. This blunt courage must run in their blood. They both reached to quiet place near the gym, and all astonishment flew out of the redhead's mind as he registered the next words of the little brunette. Akashi was, to be completely honest, confused.

"You cannot do this!"

Ogiwara was borderline breathless as he whisper-shouted. He did not want to catch the attention of those Akashi-worshipping creeps anytime, anymore. He did not want to catch Akashi himself. This was all way too overwhelming and hectic.

"Do what?" Akashi was genuinely clueless about the things that were running in Ogiwara's mind. Was his apology being thoroughly rejected? That thought brought a slight pang to his chest.

"You simply cannot apologize to me like that!" Ogiwara replied desperately.

"Do you want to get me killed?! Is this some sort of revenge you're pulling on me?" All the questions that had been plaguing Ogiwara began spilling out of his mouth.

"Or are you a complete dense blockhead who is not even aware of his immediate surrounding?"

Ogiwara might or might not have taken things a bit too far when he called _Akashi_ , lo-and-behold the Almighty Akashi, a dense blockhead. This was probably the most inaccurate thing that even crossed his mind in this year but right now he could not care less. He was full-on rant mode, with his mouth and thoughts filter temporarily unavailable. He knew that he might just _slightly_ regret his choice of words later, but he was currently engaged in being short and furious.

"You're being too ambiguous right now, Shigehiro," the redhead stated.

Akashi was getting even more confused at the little outburst of Ogiwara. What was wrong in their immediate environment? Was it those self-acclaimed fans of his? Surely, those kids would not try to get into his way of befriending the brunette. They were all struggling to remain on his good side. They would not dare to go against his simple wish for forgiveness and acceptance.

"Oh, for goodness sake, not the first name basis again. Don't try to force feed me your friendship with this pleasant act," Ogiwara pointed out bitterly.

The little brunette was already bitter from the shit he had to deal with since that little breakthrough of an apology he received, and he definitely was not happy to hear Akashi casually call him using his first name. They were not close enough for him to allow that. Heck! He had no plans of allowing the redhead to call him like that. Shigehiro was the precious name his precious parents chose for his precious being. Only the precious people who had the precious approval of Ogiwara to be in his close circle were allowed to call him like that.

"I.." Akashi closed his mouth in reflection.

He was taken aback by the instant rebuke and harsh tone of Ogiwara. He knew he was on the wrong here, but well, habits die hard and to be honest the heir was not really planning on correcting that one little habit of his. He was still in the top 1% of the society where such etiquette could be easily discarded. He still had the means to do so and yet he chose to behave and be pleasant with the little brunette. Akashi was not trying to force a friendship act on Ogiwara; he was trying to show his sincerity in befriending him. He still was not going to apologize for calling him by his first name though; since he had already placed the brunette in his close circle of people to care for.

"I'm being completely sincere. Is something bothering you?" Akashi probed, carefully avoiding the annoyance of Ogiwara.

"Yes." Ogiwara was painfully quick and blunt in reply.

"A lot of things, actually," he further precised, pitch rising ever so slightly.

"I cannot ensure my own safety when your worshipers are constantly throwing blades in my shoes and death threats in my locker. Next thing might be some poison in my food, for all I know," and there he let it all out.

Ogiwara felt so much lighter after revealing the stuffs he had to deal with following the apology of the majestic red peacock. He could not prevent the sigh from escaping from his mouth following his words. Akashi looked like realization just struck him. Every piece of the puzzle fell in place. He had clearly underestimated the obsession that his little fan base had over him.

"Ohh... I did not consider that," the redhead confessed. Honesty was the best policy.

"You sure did not," Ogiwara snorted back, clearly not believing his words.

"I apologize for the rudeness of my... fans?" Akashi was still unsure about his relationship and involvement with that outrageous club. "I will personally sort them out."

"Stop." Ogiwara interrupted the red heir.

Akashi could only raise an eyebrow at the agitated state of the brunette. He chose to keep quiet and waited for the brunette to speak again.

"Stop this whole apology thing you're doing right now." Shigehiro elaborated.

Akashi struggled to keep his poker face at the words of the little brunette. Shigehiro was refusing to acknowledge and accept his apology. That mere thought started to tear the redhead inside, though he was still a bit unsure why he wanted to befriend the latter so badly. He just knew that he would not be able to be at peace with himself until the brunette forgave him. He wanted to frown and shout back a big "why?" at that demand of Shigehiro but chose otherwise. He could feel that Shigehiro was confused, yet his voice was dripping with earnestness and plea. The little brunette was trying to have a deep conversation here.

"You're supposed to fight me. This is not how you usually reply." Ogiwara sounded like he was talking to himself even though he was staring widely in the eyes of the redhead.

"What is happening?" The brunette asked, feeling lost and confused.

The fact that Akashi was back to his original self seemed to be more mind-boggling than he thought. Ogiwara was still a bit agitated, and his large deer eyes were reflecting his state of mind. He needed clarity and kept searching for it on the face of the heir. The new pair of ruby eyes staring straight back at him made him realize something. Dealing with this new persona of Akashi might be different in terms of tact, but it was still as nerve-wrecking as before, if not more. The little brunette always considered himself a chill person. Nerves and tension were not his cup of tea, unless served with some celebrity gossips or anime plots. Real life situations with those intense feelings easily pushed him to the edge.

"I really mean it,' the redhead stated calmly.

Akashi was not taking back his apology at any cost. Even though he could sense the be-wilderness of Ogiwara, he was standing firm on that part. He was aware that his corrective behavior was probably disturbing the brunette more than he had expected it to do but he had absolutely no intentions on behaving like his past self or altering his true personality again. He just had to ease his way slowly into action, since his intentions were completely genuine. He had to convey his remorse about his poor behavior in the past to Shigehiro. He was not going to be like that again. He had caused his part of damage, and was sincerely trying to mend it.

"Please don't..." Ogiwara started but closed his eyes and sighed. He had to get his thoughts clearer to express himself in a better way.

"Listen to me," he started again, this time avoiding the eyes of Akashi. Shigehiro knew that what he was about to ask might be a bit hurtful to the other, but he wished for that.

"Let's go back to how we were at the beginning of the year, alright?" he asked. When he noticed the eyes of Akashi slightly widening at his request, he quickly continued.

"You don't have to do this whole buddy-buddy thing with me. We're both so different from each other," the brunette tried to justify his request.

"I believe that a friendship between me and you would be invaluable," Akashi countered back.

He tried his best to keep his voice calm and avoid cracking, even though he was shook by the request of the brunette. How was he going to get at peace with himself if Ogiwara was only wishing for distance from him? Akashi wanted to get close to him to make sure that the brunette was doing well- something that was not actually happening because of him and those stupid people who craze over him. Shigehiro was a great person; he had to admit that much. He had come to admire the little brunette and wished to know him more.

"You cannot force me to like you, Akashi- _sama_ ," Ogiwara replied as calmly as possible and observed the way the redhead gritted his teeth at his bluntness. Akashi was quick to get his mask of calmness back.

"At the very least, accept my apology for all the trouble I caused," the redhead tried his luck again.

"Stop asking for forgiveness," Shigehiro reiterated.

"It takes two to tango. You're not the only one at fault in this," he continued.

The little brunette decided to come clear with the biggest bug in this mind. He was still feeling guilty about the fact that he cheered against his teammates. No matter how much thoughts he put behind his action at that time to justify it, he was still part of the team even though it was against his wish. What he did was ultimately let his comrades down, _again_. And if he was not asking for apology for that, Akashi should not be feeling sorry for treating him the way he previously did. They both shat on each other. It was good enough that the redhead was not as terrifying now, but Ogiwara could not allow himself to be treated with anything more than aloofness and indifference from the redhead and the team.

Akashi was rendered speechless at the sudden confession, with only one thought running in his head: Where was Shigehiro at fault in all of this? Bokushi was the one with the wicked schemes and bad intentions. The brunette was a clear victim to all the happening, and yet was able to escape from the worst possible scenario. Shigehiro was brave. Why was he feeling guilty when he clearly had no choice but to escape in order to stay safe? Akashi wanted to confront the brunette, to convince him otherwise, but did not get the opportunity to do it right away.

"I'm no saint either, Seijuro."

With that, Ogiwara walked away.

 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed the story so far! Rates and reviews will be much appreciated~**


	24. Chapter 24

**Author's note: It's being a looooooong time since I last updated... I'm so sorry for this big delay! I just went on winter break and first thing I did (after sleeping like a boar to catch up on all the sleepless nights i spent while trying to meet deadlines and get rid of the fatigue) was whip this chapter out!** **I tried to capture the emotions that they all felt in this chapter and I hope I did it rightly! I did not really proofread or edit my work this time so pls excuse some occasional mistakes that may crop up.** **I won't keep you long for now but** ** _please_** **check out the A/N after this!**

 **Enjoy the reading~**

Ogiwara _tried_.

He seriously tried to avoid that farewell party for the third years in the basketball club. But alas, who can avoid the plans of Akashi when the redhead had insisted on his presence? Ogiwara sighed as he placed the buns and croissants he prepared in the oven of the school's kitchen. Today was the day, and he knew that the redhead was waiting for him in the gym. Ogiwara was still confused over why the Akashi heir was so freaking adamant on getting him to the party. Even though the death threats and random blades being thrown in his shoes stopped, the brunette was still aware that he was being constantly scrutized by the fans of Akashi. Damn Akashi and his obsessed minions. For his own sheer safety, he now had to drag his body to the party after beng publicly invited to it by the one and only Akashi. He was still unsure about the new found dynamics of the regulars with him, but the memory of Mibuchi questioning his cheer during the final match left a bitter taste on his tongue. That was not a pleasant memory. He was still feeling bad for letting them down.

At least he could use the cooking club as an excuse to delay his arrival. Well, his cooking club activities had always been his priorities, and he was not going to let those buns down anytime. Those little bitches better be baked to perfection before he could allow himself to leave the kitchen and take those pastries to the party. Hopefully, he would be able to avoid being awkward and out of place in the group by bribing them with his very, very, _very_ tasty food. Ogiwara, despite being the optimistic rainbow he usually was, was not having a great feeling from this invitation and his intuition was almost always reliable according to him. He was not looking forward to the next event he had to attend after his club activities.

The brunette barely got to set the timer of the oven when he felt someone grab his wrist and starting to drag him out of his little haven. He still had his cleaning to do, for god's sake! He was not planning to get out of the kitchen without his baked goods, and felt an instant surge of irritation as he snapped before bothering to check who the intruder was.

" _Excuse you, mister-"_

That handgrip was definitely from a male, but before he could continue showcasing his absolute wrath for being disturbed, he recognised the voice that interrupted him.

"Come with me, Shigehiro. This is really important," his brother-in-law instantly shut him up.

If the elder male was using his actual, parent-given name instead of those absolutely ridiculous and cringy nicknames that he and his sister usually came up with, then the matter was really serious. Ogiwara tried not panic and the tone and the _very_ fast pace in which they were heading to the gym, the brunette quickly assumed. What did that red devil plan for him? Had Akashi decided to drop the friendly façade he was pulling the whole time after his loss and trying to get revenge? Why was Sato-san so worked up? He tried to ask the teacher a few questions about what was going on but the elder male kept focusing on dragging him to the place where he currently dreaded to set his foot on. Ogiwara could see a few sweat beads already forming on the assistant coach's face as they jogged their way to the gym, which was to the other side of the premises. The closer they came to the building, the more anxious the little brunette grew and as the gym came in view, he started losing his calm.

"Sato-san, please tell me what's happening. I'm getting really anxious now."

Ogiwara tried to get an answer on last time as they walked in the gym and kept staring at the elder male's face for a clue. He took notice of the sudden silence that fell onto the gym as they made their entrance together, but what intrigued him even more was the look on Sato-san's face as he stared in front of them. The assistant teacher looked… Ogiwara could not find the right word to describe the look on his face, but he instantly realised that whatever was happening was not necessarily a bad thing. No negative emotions were displayed on the assistant's coach face. Taking this as his cue, he decided to turn his face around and look in the same direction as the other. _What he saw instantly cracked him up._

Tetsuya.

Tetsuya, who summed up his childhood adventures. Tetsuya, his friend who always took his side whenever he pulled all sorts of pranks and teased his sister. Tetsuya, his childhood side-kick and partner-in-all-the-stupidest-crimes-ever. Tetsuya, with whom he spent countless of hours playing and improving his basketball skills. Tetsuya, and the promise he made to meet him again and have a match for the summer championship. Tetsuya, the friend he was constantly running away from the whole time just because he could not cope with his own defeat. Tetsuya, who he abandoned so quickly even though he was aware that he had abandonment issues because of his parents. Tetsuya, his best friend who he wronged so badly and yet Tetsuya, the one for who he cheered the most loudly from the crowd.

It came like a hard wave; all the memories started flooding his mind. Ogiwara could feel his face starting to crunch up as he took the sight in front of him. He could see that Tetsuya was also struggling and failing to keep his usual poker face on. But what really hit him the hardest was the tight, _genuine_ smile on his best friend's face. In the fraction of a second, the brunette eyes filled up and he let out a sob. The intense burden that he was carrying all the time since he lost contact with Tetsuya, one painful sob escaped his lips as recalled all of it. He was still not ready to face his childhood friend after the painful betrayal he inflicted on him by running away.

He was still wearing that stupid, rainbow-colour stained, frilly apron from the club activities. Chocolate stains were probably just added on that piece of cloth. The fragrance of the vanilla essence he spilled all over the apron a few days back was still as stong as ever. He probably even had some flour in his hair and chocolate on his cheeks. His hands were still dirty from all the stuffs he had been mixing and shaping in the kitchen previously. The brunette was looking like a total mess from being interrupted during his activities. But that was the last thing in his mind right now. Not even acknowledging the presendce of the remaining people in the gym and all the eyes that were intensely following his move, Ogiwara ran to Tetsuya and hugged him hard. He could not prevent the silent sobs from escaping him as he felt his childhood friend hug him back as tightly.

Ogiwara broke down. He teared up and started shaking in his friend's silent sobs started growing slightly louder. He let out a silent whine as he felt Tetsuya slightly shake too. Ready or not, Ogiwara chose to embrace his childhood friend as hard as he could to get all his feelings across. The silent sobs and whines continued for a bit as both friends hugged each other for what they felt like an eternity. Soon enough, Ogiwara swallowed that big lump he felt in his throat and started repeating the same things over and over again, voice trembling and cracking over the intense emotions that he was feeling.

 _"_ _Sorry."_

 _"_ _Thank you so much."_

He kept saying it, painfully slow as more tears gushed out of his eyes. He could not see anything, could not care about anything else for the moment except for the fact that Tetsuya was hugging him back with the same ardence. Nothing else matters. His best friend was back, and the mere thought of it made him tear up even more. These tears were a mixture of his repentance, his pain, his frustration and yet now his overwhelming happiness. He was feeling thankful at everything, not really sure to whom, but he was so thankful for being given the occasion to see his childhood friend again, to ask for forgiveness and to be able to express what he felt all the time. He was thankful to everyone and everything for this moment.

"Don't apologize, Shige-san."

Even the voice of Tetsuya was shaking slightly.

"I should be the one thanking you. _Thank you_."

Ogiwara heard the phantom player clearly, though his voice was trembling. He could feel his shirt getting more wet on the shoulder. Tetsuya was also crying, and this made the little brunette cry even harder. He could not suppress his whines any longer. They were both finally reunited, after all the mess that their last match in middle school left. Tetsuya was not angry at him for leaving him. Instead, he was welcoming him in his embrace and thanking him. Ogiwara let out more tears of joy, happy to get to be with his childhood friend again. He had been fantasying about that moment for a while, thinking about all the possible scenarios and cowering away from any thoughts of calling Tetsuya as he carefully considered the worst case scenarios. But what was happening right now was even better than what he was expecting, way better than the best case scenario he had planned in his head.

Both friends had no idea on how long they kept clinging on each other like they were holding on dear life. What felt like eternity for them was probably just a few minutes in reality. Ogiwara was glad that no one interrupted this moment. He started feeling more thankful for the consideration, yet slowly became conscious that he needed to calm down. Slowly, both of them started to regain their composure, yet they kept holding on each other tight. No one wanted to let go, but the little blunette decided to brave himself up and slowly loosen his grip on Shigehiro. Soon, the brunette did the same. They still stood close in front of each other, hands on their arm and taking in the moment for a few more seconds until Tetsuya decided to break the silence.

"I never thought that I'll see the day when I have more muscles than you, Shige." Just the right amount of roast from the phantom. Ogiwara chuckled.

"You just can't admit the fact that I still look better than you without my abs," he retorted back jokingly and earned a light chuckle too.

Hearing the two of them joke around and chuckle was like a soothing balm on the burning remorse that Akashi had been constantly feeling since _he_ came back. His other self had done so much damage around, and this was the least that he could to do start mending things. Calling Tetsuya over for the party was something that he had been planning, with the heated approval of the other Rakuzan members after they came to know about the lost friendship and how Bokushi was being a total asshole all the times. He became even more convicted to make those two patch up after seeing how Ogiwara was trying to avoid getting involved with him after everything. Knowing Ogiwara, and from the last talk they had, the little brunette was probably still feeling bad for cheering for Tetsuya instead of his own team. Akashi had to make sure to get rid of that self-guilt in the brunette; he was not wrong. Instead, it was probably the best thing to do, given that he was practically forced on the team against his will. Hopefully, Shigehiro would be able to trust him a little bit more from now. Actions do speak louder than words in times like this. The redhead was still standing strong in his attempt to befriend the brunette.

The rest of the team felt a bit like they were intruding a personal moment, but after hearing about those two they were so pleased and happy for this reunion. They all kept silent and watched in awe at the reaction of Ogiwara as he finally noticed the phantom player. From the moment his face instantly scrunched up and his eyes filled his tears, everyone in the room could feel the little brunette's raw emotions. He had missed his childhood; that much was more than clear and it was also obvious that his feelings were being reciprocated by Kuroko, who also dropped his usual poker face as they hugged. The whole scene happened so quickly, with Ogiwara probably moving even faster than an Aomine on court, yet they all captured the moment. The whines and cries that quickly followed pulled a few strings in their heart. Akashi was left breathless for a few moments from the sheer intensity of the emotional display. Hayama had to support Mibuchi by patting him on the back as the tall player started tearing up too. Both Hayama and Nebuya tried to keep a strong façade on but in the end, they looked like they could start tearing up at any time. They all had seen Ogiwara break down in tears before, and it was not pleasant at all to see him in such a poor state. But this time, a different kind of tears was being shed. Those were tears of joy; everyone in the room could feel it.

The only person who was not struggling with tears near the scene was the assistant coach. That was only because he did not try to keep them in and let them flow out freely while trying to maintain the silence. He remembered how tightly knitted those two kids were from the time he was dating since his school days. Kuroko practically grew up with them, with him being their first mentor in basketball. He recalled all the time they spent on the street court playing and bonding over basketball and the amazing food of Shiori's mom after practising. Heck, Kuroko even played a big role in their wedding! If only he had gotten the idea to film this whole scene and send it to his wife. This was the restoration of such a precious friendship, one that gradually grew and left a mark in their life time. He was so glad and thankful for this moment, for it could possibly mean the beginning of an end; an end to the inner torment that Ogiwara felt and kept to himself since that match. He had to do something, he thought as he listened to the two kids chucking. He could not let this moment end without any memory to look back on.

"Say cheeeeeeeesu~"

Tetsuya and Shigehiro were both startled from the sudden voice of the assistant coach. They quickly turned around to see the elder male holding up his phone, with probably the camera on, and waiting for them to take a click. Everything happened naturally. They both threw an arm over each other's shoulder and lean closer. Their faces were tear-stained, with a few tears fresh on their cheeks. They were both sporting one hell of a red nose that could put Rudolph to shame and Shigehiro was pretty sure that there was a little bit snot a corner of his nose. But all those 'flaws' did not matter at that moment.

Akashi took in a sharp intake of breath as he saw the wide grin on their face. He had always seen Ogiwara smiling, joking and laughing way too loud at his own jokes at times. He even got to witness the sheer happiness on his face at the announcement on his sister's pregnancy from far. But, this was the first time he had seen him smiling like this. His eyes were almost closed, grinning as widely as he could to the camera with his tear-stained, flushed cheeks and red nose. The redhead also recalled the happy face of Kuroko after winning their matches in middle school; something that stopped appearing after a while, but such a wide grin on the bluenette's face was new to him. Akashi was completely surprised and impressed by the smile on Tetsuya's face. He had never thought that the phantom player could smile like that. After all the time they had spent together in the last few years, Tetsuya never smiled like that to them. Damn that resting poker face, the bluenette should smile like that more. Both of them were giving full-on eye smiles to the phone camera, and kept on smiling even after the click was heard.

Seijuro felt a smile forming on his lips as he watched them like this. Calling Tetsuya was hands down the best thing to do.

 **A/N: The phantom appears! I was dying to write about the reunion of Ogiwara and Kuroko ever since i started working on this story and it felt so good and painful writing this at the same time bc of dem feels. I hope you liked this chapter! :)**

 **I am NOT dropping this story, but the updates are going to be irregular bc all the people who said that university is fun and easy are LIARS. ughh, they've been constantly dropping deadlines and more reading to do since week 2 till the end of the term. This is harder than i thought it would be bc i suck at time management and basic life skills. The only useful thing I learnt is how to use a washing machine and rely on microwave food. I thought that living independently was fun and cool until i had to worry about how to feed myself bc dumb me did not get the catered option. Enough of complaining now. England is great! 3 3 3**

 **Back to the story, I apologize for making you wait so much! The wait is probably not going to get better bc I still have work to do during the break BUT I know what to write next... foreshadowing: probably more on the party that's going on. and there's way more to come because i got this planned even though i'm not finding enough time to sit down properly and slam the ideas on my keyboard.**

 **I hope you liked the story so far!**

 _ **Rate and reviews will be much appreciated~**_


	25. Chapter 25

**Author's Note: I am so so so sorry for this late update! I hope you're all doing well :) it's a long chapter! Yayyy~ Kuroko may be a bit OOC in this chapter, or with Ogiwara in general in this story because they've been childhood friends who have known each other for a long time... so this is a warning. Please let me know what you think of this dynamic between Ogiwara and Kuroko! It might come as a surprise. Also I uploaded this chapter without proofreading so pls forgive any grammatical or spelling mistakes :(**

 **Anyway, enjoy the read~**

The tense situation that Ogiwara kept feeling in the presence of the Rakuzan team members seemed to slowly fade after they all witnessed the reunion between the brunette and his childhood friend. However, Ogiwara, being the extra person he usually was, felt the need to do something extra to break the ice. From the way they all looked at him and Tetsuya during and after his shameless waterwork, he could safely assume that they have been told about this whole situation and that this meeting was actually pre-planned.

He had a slight idea on who might be the mastermind behind it but he refused to think about _that_ person for now. That _particular_ person was sure trying his best to befriend him, and this confused the heck out of Ogiwara. What did he do that would make the almighty Akashi want to befriend him? Thinking of all the times he figuratively and sometimes even literally spit in his food, this new decision of the redhead sure confused him. And Ogiwara was a fairly simple person, he'd rather like to avoid all sorts of confused ideas or situations that could potentially be more harmful than good to him. Even though the intentions of the redhead felt even more sincere with his actions, he still cannot digest why he was so adamant on befriending him. But with actions so sincere, he was struggling to find reasons to stop his attempts at becoming friends. The Akashi was surprisingly earnest in his approach and Ogiwara could feel it now. He was also so freaking thankful for getting Kuroko here. Words could not describe how he felt when he saw Tetsuya.

Shigehiro shoved these thoughts off his mind and slowly turned towards the rest of the regular team to see them watching over from the other side of the court. There were some other members of the club in the building but he tried not to be distracted. The moment his eyes met those of Mibuchi, he got this very corny idea that could probably cause him death by embarrassment if no one caught up with it and played along. He forced himself to stop the feeling of embarrassment taking over his senses as he thought about what he was about to do and just did it.

"Hello from the other siiiiiiiiiiide~," he shouted at the top of his lungs, startling the shit out of everyone in the room and started taking a few hesitant steps towards the rest of the group.

 _Serenade_ _time was back, bitches_. If Ogiwara couldn't handle the awkwardness that set up between him at the rest of the team following the winter cup, he might as well dive and drown in more awkwardness to deal with it. He just had to make it more awkward till it's normal. As if the amazing waterwork he displayed was not embarrassing enough already. He could still feel the wetness on his cheeks and eyelashes though he stopped crying. He might as well do this now or never.

"I must've called a thousand tiiiiiiiimes~!" Mibuchi and Hayama shouted back almost instinctively.

Ogiwara thanked the gods for letting at least one of the boys know the lyrics, though he would've silently judged all of them if no one recognised this classic hit. No one should ever have this amount of disrespect to Adele and her epic songs. She slays and Ogiwara aspired to slay like her. Mayuzumi, on the other hand, rolled his eyes at the choice of the song; the situation could not get any cheesier. Tearful reunion, embarassing songs; his farewell party sure was eventful.

"I'm sorry," the singing trio blurted out at the same time and looked at each other following the coincidence. Before giving the rest a chance to speak, Ogiwara started again.

"I'm sorry for cheering against the team, and at your loss," he quickly explained and felt an invisible weigh drop off his shoulders. He had been thinking about this way too much for his own good, and he was convinced that his cheer must have had hurt the rest of the team before they knew the reason.

"Please don't apologize, Shige-chan!" Mibuchi refuted.

"We should be the ones apologizing for being so insensitive and playing along in ignorance. If we had known better. . ." Hayama quickly looked over at Akashi before continuing, "We could've tried to stop the situation from getting this bad."

"Don't apologize for something that you couldn't control because you didn't know about, sempai," Ogiwara countered as well. Mibuchi was about to say something when he got interrupted.

"Are you okay?"

Mayuzumi got everyone silent in the hall with his sudden question, but the concern on all their faces was clear. They all needed to know if the little brunette was doing okay after being forced in this mess. Even though they were pissed off at their captain, it was obvious that the Akashi heir had changed for the better and was already repenting hard for his other self's poor actions. They couldn't stay mad at him, especially when the redhead was so ready to leave the basketball club if they did not want to forgive him. They ended up silently accepting their captain's previous mistakes and welcomed the changes in him. It was still weird to see the heir smiling easily at times, but they were not complaining here. They were all sincerely worried about the brunette, but they didn't have the courage to face him after knowing about the whole ordeal with Seirin's shadow. They all felt guilty for questioning Ogiwara's intention and feeling betrayed following his actions at the stadium. The way Mayuzumi snapped at them made complete sense now.

"Look… you may not believe me from what you can see as in now," Ogiwara started cautiously, "but believe me, I'm fine," he continued sincerely after feeling their concern towards him. Seeing Nebuya, of all people, raising an eyebrow at him, he quickly added, "a little bit shook, but I'm fine. Ecstatic to be able to meet him(Tetsyua) again, and talk to y'all as well, but yeah. . ."

He stopped talking when he saw Mibuchi running towards him and engulfing him in a big hug. The black haired shooter began spluttering a mass of nearly incomprehensible words but it was easy to guess that he had been worried about him. Soon enough, Hayama joined the two of them yelling "group hug" and Nebuya, _fucking macho-man Nebuya_ reluctantly followed. Mayuzumi chose this time to conveniently disappear.

Akashi sighed happily, albeit discreetly as he watched his team members being happy and hugging each other. He noticed the ghost player sneaking his way out of the picture and was tempted to call him out but decided otherwise. However, before he had his own chance at remaining out of the display of affection, Mibuchi called him out and demanded that he joined the group hug for " a good bonding time". He was sharp enough to see Shigehiro's body slightly tensing at the suggestion and opted to stay out till, _lo-and-behold,_ he felt someone pushing him towards the group. Mayuzumi was behind him and dragging him to the group. Akashi had to admit, he did not see that coming but he did not fight it again. Akashi and Mayumumi hesitantly joined them as well, eliciting a cheer of joy from Mibuchi. This went on for a few seconds before Ogiwara realised something. He had so much tea to spill to Tetsuya, who he could hear talking to his brother-in-law. And now that he realised the opportunity had finally come, he could not wait.

"Okay, okay, enough hugging now I gotta break some news to Tetsuya," Ogiwara whispered urgently, and they all felt the little switch in his character as he got excited for some unknown reasons.

"Let's all get back to the party," Akashi declared, though he knew this was almost futile as everyone's attention would still remain on the brunette but at least they won't do it openly.

"All these feelings made me hungry," Nebuya mumbled as he made his way to the food.

Ogiwara silently prayed that Sato-san didn't break any news to Tetsuya yet as he approached the two of them. As soon as he heard the assistant coach talking about basketball skills and what-so-ever with the phantom player, he knew he still had a chance. He waited for the best timing to join their conversation smoothly as his brother-in-law started sipping on his juice.

"Oh, by the way… Tetsuya, did you know that the devil finally got knocked up?"

It was an inside joke among them that Sato-san married the devil, who was her sister because she had this streak of evilness in her whenever she got angry. Ogiwara's sister had a temper that could scare people out of the country. She was like the devil when angered and they all acknowledged the assistant coach as a brave soul to be able to put up with her. Now that Ogiwara had been living with them, he could safely say that the "I'm sorry" and "I love you" game of his brother-in-law was strong and almost automatic at this point. Sato-san abide to the rules his wife set, though they were in no way restricting or suffocating. He was totally whipped for his wife. Ogiwara loved that aspect of his brother-in-law, and was thankful that his sister tied down the knot with him. However, he would've been very well off without the mental image of them doing the sexy on the couch while going to the kitchen at night when they thought he was already asleep.

"It was about time," Kuroko replied, dropping the poker face and looking pleasantly surprised with raised eyebrows and a half smirk.

Kuroko was _smirking_. Akashi could not recognise this face of the phantom player.

"They have sex all the time," Ogiwara added.

How could Kuroko dare to forget about Shigehiro's habit of adding too much information? He was used to all of this though. Both teenagers turned towards the assistant coach who was choking on his drink following the statements of Ogiwara. They gave him a pointed look from up to down. Before the teacher could say anything in his defense because, well, he's married and actually wanted to get a kid for once, they both beat it up to him.

"Ewww," they said in unison with a look of slight disgust on their face while silently judging the teacher.

These two would never stop teasing him for marrying Shiori! The teacher just gave up on trying saying anything about it and sighed in defeat. He still remembered the short congratulatory message that Kuroko told him on his wedding day, about 'taking one for the team and marrying Ogiwara's sister'. Those two always found pleasure in annoying or embarrassing him, and it didn't look like they would stop anytime soon. From the way they were both catching up with each other, one would've never guessed they stopped talking at some point.

"Anyway, congratulations to you Sato-san," Kuroko continued. "I need to come visit your place soon and meet up with Shiori-san to give her my congratulations as well."

The assistant coach was not the only one who choked on his drink while listening to Ogiwara's ramblings. Akashi just happened to be in the hearing range of the group and accidentally heard the little brunette. He was not _eavesdropping_ , _per se_. He was only a little concerned and curious about how it was going between Shigehiro and his former team mate. He was the one who got this idea to make them meet up again, it was _natural_ for him to make sure that it was all going smoothly. Okay… Akashi admitted he should stop lying to himself. Like the rest of the team, he was curious about the supposedly breaking news. However, everyone in the team already knew about that news. But he could've done well without knowing about the additional details on his assistant coach's _very_ personal life. What surprised him the most was Kuroko.

Tetsuya was someone who, although having a slight mischievous streak, remained fairly passive and straight-faced from memory of the previous experiences of the basketball captain. Akashi sometimes wondered how the phantom player became friends with Shigehiro with such clashing personalities, but it seemed that he was wrong on another matter here. Akashi was dumbfounded as he saw Tetsuya drop his poker face and became more expressive at the news of the Sato couple, and his comeback was witty as well. It was a pity that the bluenette had never being this expressive with them in general, except when he was seriously concentrating on the club activities or matches. He also had to admit that the atmosphere in his previous basketball club was really tense and stiff. Akashi realised that he might see a new side of Kuroko with Ogiwara being at his side.

And this realisation got confirmed rather quickly. Kuroko sure dropped his guards around his childhood friend and Akashi was pleasantly surprised by it. The basketball captain knew that his former team member could be savage at times, but to see the sass that came out of him while both of them made a sound of disgust and judged the teacher in silence was new. Akashi quickly deemed Ogiwara as the sass master, to the extent that even Kuroko could not resist getting sassy in his presence. Newly found quirks of Kuroko were resurfacing, starting with his blinding smile when he hugged the little brunette and now the sass in his deliveries alongside with Ogiwara, who, even Akashi had to admit, had this innate tendency to be _dramatic,_ put it nicely. Akashi was thankful to Ogiwara, for being able to make Kuroko at ease like that. He wished they would continue being like this after this restoration. Akashi did not pay attention as the two childhood friends made their way out of the building.

Now that Tetsuya was back by his side, Ogiwara felt compelled to pull a prank of some sort. Tetsuya was his partner-in-crime for a reason. He needed some bonding time, and as soon as he realised what majestic feat he could pull off on this special occasion, he gave Tetsuya The Look™. With a mischievous glint in his pale blue eyes and a slight quirk on the sides of his lips, Tetsuya also gave him The Look™. He did not have to say anything more to get the signal across. Today was a special day and a special prank was going to be pulled. In the end he did not have to bribe the group with his food, and his buns were still in the school kitchen. While being all smooth and natural, the little brunette asked the assistant teacher for his car keys to get his buns in them because "obviously there's no lack of food in here. Akashi sure knows how to organize stuffs." As soon as he got the keys, both teens left the building. Sure they went to transfer the buns to the car, but Ogiwara got the keys for a completely different reason.

Under the backseat, in the same shitty location where Sato-san tried to hide the expensive wine he had previously bought for his sister and failing miserably while at it, was found a bottle of gin. It was more of a flask than a bottle, but it was new and fairly enough for what the little brunette had planned. This special occasion deserved a cheer from everyone. He knew this plan was as idiotic as it could be, but this amount of alcohol wouldn't be enough to render a group of muscle-massed boys completely drunk. Even he had a basic knowledge from his own experiences on how that thing worked. If anything, a little alcohol in their system would completely dissolve the slight traces of tension in the air. Ogiwara lost no time in filling his empty water bottle with the clear liquid while Tetsuya played guard. This whole transaction felt like the good old times, and both of them relinquished to the excitement. They made their way back as smoothly as they left and Tetsuya, being his usual phantom self, sneaked his way to the drinks corner and poured the contents of the bottle in the big containers containing different flavors of juice. Every time someone would go for the tapped juice now, they would be served with a nice chilled cocktail.

 _Ogiwara and Tetsuya, with a perfect display of team work and mischief, successfully managed to spike the drinks._

Shortly after, Ogiwara went to have a taste of his special drink and was pleased that the taste of alcohol was not prominent. It was a bit bitter compared to how it usually tasted, but they could easily blame it on the chemicals or something; not his doing, not at all. To be fair, this was not the first time the duo pulled this particular prank. They both worked together to spike the coke and lemonade supply with vodka in his sister's wedding reception and this pleasantly, more like hilariously lead to the discovery of many dancing kings and queens in the family, both members of the prank team included. He did get slightly scolded after his parents caught up to them but that night became too memorable for his parents to be genuinely angry at the two of them. Talks of that particular wedding reception kept going on for _months_ in the family.

Soon enough, all the members in the farewell party started to slowly warm up as they served themselves with the _tap juice_. Ogiwara felt especially glad when he saw the Akashi heir sipping on the juice without any second thoughts. The atmosphere in the room got cozier and funnier. Mibuchi started giggling at every little thing he found interesting and Nebuya's appetite got even bigger. Hayama was randomly saying bad puns or dad jokes that came across his mind that Mibuchi cheered excessively for them every single time, while for the others it was more of a case of hit-or-miss.

Akashi started feeling slightly warm and drew his neck tie a bit loose. He felt very relaxed for some unknown reasons to him and welcomed the feeling. He found himself mysteriously glacing at Shigehiro and Tetsuya time and again, but refused to start a conversation with them on his own. The two of them kept walking around, looking eerily happy. He did not want to leave a bitter taste in their mind in case he said something inappropriate. Even though Akashi was trained to behave with perfect mannerisms in formal events, these kinds of socially informal events were still a bit of a novelty to him. He thus chose to be safe and talk to people who showed interest in having a conversation with him. He had to admit that amidst Hayama's bad puns and Mibuchi's constant giggling, he was genuinely enjoying himself with the group.

As soon as Ogiwara and Tetsuya noticed the last cup of the spiked drink being served, they excused themselves to go to the rest room. As soon as they were on their own, they headed to the locker room and both burst out laughing at how the situation was unraveling. Everyone was warming up, for sure and those drinks went down so ridiculously quick. They both found it comical how people kept coming back for more drinks. The prank was slowly becoming a success, as they all dropped their guards, Tetsuya and Ogiwara included. They were both practically attached to the hips by this point. They were not done laughing when someone barged in the room. Mayuzumi gave them a slightly narrowed glare before going straight to the point.

"Was that gin or vodka?" the laughter instantly died out.

"E-ehh?" Tetsuya felt his mental capacity dying along with his speech.

"I saw you pouring something in the drinks, Kuroko-kun. You may be invisible to everyone, but it takes one invisible man to notice another invisible man's actions." Mayuzumi hoped that he did not sound drunk, for he did have a fair share of the drinks as well.

"It was gin." Ogiwara replied cautiously.

"That was a good one, I have to admit. Do you guys anything more planned? Can I join in the prankster crew? I'm sorry for the last time by the way, Ogiwara-san." Mayuzumi sure talked a lot more when tipsy, Ogiwara remarked.

"Ohh. . . the scare prank during summer camp! Don't worry -," Ogiwara waved his hand dismissively while replying. He almost successfully forgot about that one time he was near to pissing his pants because of that prank. Before he got to say anything else, the elder teen cut him off.

"No, I'm talking about you warning me about this role I had in the team. I should've taken you seriously. I'm sorry for telling you off like I did at that time. You were right there. They did kind of pull off some dirty tricks in the end," Mayuzumi continued.

"Ohh…" Ogiwara was speechless and also probably a bit too tipsy for this serious conversation but either way he was glad that they were having this talk.

"It's okay, sempai. Don't worry about it now. I was just trying to make sure you would be safe or prepared," Ogiwara replied calmly.

"I enjoyed the finals, Mayuzumi-san," Kuroko quickly interjected, surprising the other teens in the room.

"That final match was the bomb. On a side note, I nearly got all gay for you from all that cheering, but then I saw the chemistry between you and split eyebrows in you team and lemme tell you I thought he was already going all gay for you," Ogiwara added smugly.

How could he consider himself as Kuroko's best friend if did not occasionally tease the bluenette?

Kuroko scoffed, but did not say anything back. Did that mean that split eyebrows was actually on the move or something? _Holy. Shit._ Ogiwara could not believe he got a hint of something going on here. He _had_ to remember this part of the conversation and dig out more later.

"Umm… maybe we should head back," the eldest suggested.

Mayuzumi had no fucking clue how the conversation turned to this, but knowing Ogiwara, it was no surprise. The little brunette could fish for information, but he'd rather not be around when the exchange of knowledge was going on. Mayuzumi, on the other hand, had little to no interest in those details, unless it was about someone who was a stick in the mud like, let's say, their beloved basketball captain. Also, the chemistry between the light and shadow pair of Seirin was quite obvious to begin with, _duh_.

When they all headed back to the gym area, some of the members were already gone. It was sunset time and it was getting slightly darker and cooler. All the Rakuzan regulars and a few other members of the club sat cosily in a circle in the middle of the wide room. Some of them were leaning onto each other or, in the case of Mibuchi, straight up sitting in the lap of the muscle-maniac. They sure did warm up a lot to each other, the brunette thought while exchanging a knowing glace with Kuroko and Mayuzumi. Once they reached the group, they made themselves comfortable and listened to the others talking about the most random things, and occasionally the few farewell talks directed to the eldest member of the regulars.

Akashi seized the moment to express his deep regret on the way he treated his senior on the finals. By the end of his little talk, he sincerely wished his sempai for the best in his studies. A subtle feel of melancholy settled in the air following their captain's words and Ogiwara decided that this sad feeling was not the reason he spiked all their drinks. They had to be giddy and happy, though it was a farewell party.

"My goodness!" the brunette exclaimed in exasperation. He instantly got everyone's attention.

"Mayuzumi sempai is just going to university, not to the army, for god's sake. You're all making this so emotional. I have a faint heart, don't pull my heartstrings like that!" He relented. Turning his attention to the senior player, he continued.

"Mayuzumi sempai . . ." he said fondly with a warm smile.

"Do you know why I call you sempai?" the brunette questioned, earning a little chuckle from Tetsuya and some others at the possible implication.

"Do you want to be noticed, Ogiwara-san?" Mayuzumi teased the little brunette.

"No." Ogiwara deadpanned.

"It's 'cause you're old," Ogiwara replied in a flat tone.

Absolute hilarity, along with the gobsmacked look on the elder teen's face followed. And with this,Ogiwara was able to roast the elder teen as a special farewell gift from him. But to be completely fair, the sight of the redheaded captain openly laughing at his delivery made him feel a bit prouder than usual.

 **A/N: And that's the end of the party! I put a fair share of humor in this one, and I hope that I did not focus too much on Sato, but I wanted to highlight the close relationship of Tetsuya with Ogiwara and the Sato couple through this chapter. Also a bit of the Rakuzan regulars and OOgiwara development in this. I hope it doesn't look too forced. I just finished my first year in university and straight up wrote down this chapter after taking my last exam lol**

 **I hope you had a nice time reading this! Rates and Reviews will be much appreciated~**


	26. Chapter 26(Updated)

**UPDATE: I was gonna post a new chapter but the word count was too low for it to be a new chapter and it was a continuation of this chapter so I added it in this chapter itself. This chapter just got 2k words longer ayyyyye~ also, more of Akashi!**

 **Author's Note: Wow... It feels really good to be back here. I am so sorry for being absent for so long and making you wait. I was in no condition to write. As some of you may have guessed, writing fiction work is a way for me to escape and get away from my mental health issues and problematic reality. I had a major relapse and completely lost myself in the past few months, but thankfully I started getting the help I needed and starting to find my grounds back. And thus, the writing has resumed! I wont take more of your time with my sappy story. This work is slowly taking a new turn, and I hope all of you who waited/joined the rare ship like it!**

 **Have a great reading!~**

Winter Break started peacefully and Ogiwara was elated about the aspect of no school and no random talks with a certain majestic redhead. His sister was already five months pregnant and her cravings were only getting weirder and weirder. Thank goodness they lived closed to the supermarket; the amount of time his brother-in-law had to rush to get some peanut butter ice cream and garlic bread at two in the morning to calm his sister's cravings was mind boggling. This child sure had a weirdly specific palette. At least the period of morning sickness was over now. Ogiwara sighed in relief.

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon in the Sato household and it was already getting dark outside. Everyone woke up _very_ late but no complains were heard since they had no reason to wake up early. Christmas was in a week and the Christmas tree, courtesy of her sister's constant nagging and her devoted brother-in-law, had already been set up. It was freaking cold outside and all three of them was all too satisfied being indoors and sluggish. They have gotten all their Christmas gears out and have been rocking those holiday outfits for a couple of days now. The celebration vibes had settled in their little home the moment Sato-san decorated the Christmas tree and living room with fairy lights. Her sister had been having a growing appetite, much to the delight of Ogiwara who got the chance to keep in touch with the kitchen. Usually at this time of the year they would all be reuniting at his parent's place but given the delicate condition of her sister and the long ass drive in this cold weather, this household had been exempted from the annual gathering for the safety of the expecting person. Ogiwara was slightly sad about it at first, but then technology and Skyping with his parents made him get over it rather quickly. And also, the couple became even more hilarious in their antics as each day passed and the little brunette was always down for some domestic entertainment. The brunette kept sipping on his hot chocolate while listening to the couple trying to guess the sex of the child in the kitchen.

It was therefore no wonder that the sound of the doorbell ringing threw every single person in the house off.

The couple stopped their in depth discussion for a moment before Ogiwara yelled of getting the door. They picked up their conversation right where it got dropped almost instantly after hearing him. Ogiwara, on the other hand, tried to guess who in their right peace of mind would bother to get out of their home and knock on someone else's door when it was less that zero degrees outside. For goodness sake, it was snowing the whole night yesterday! He'd better be giving something to the intruder if they were a salesperson of some sort just for the sheer courage of going out in this weather. Without trying to think too much of the situation, the brunette lazily dragged himself of the couch and went to open the door.

It took all the living energy out his small body to resist slamming the door shut as he saw the person waiting outside.

What the fuck was Akashi freaking Seijuro doing outside their house?!

…

Akashi decided to take a leap of faith. Going completely against his calculative, meticulous self while oddly sticking to it at the same time, he decided to surprise the Sato household and present his sincere apologies for all the trouble his other self caused in the family. For some reason, he still remembered the detailed account of how _well_ Ogiwara's pregnant sister took the uniform of her little brother. Embarrassingly enough, he also could not forget the little (too) prideful parade of the brunette around the gym in the clearly over-sized uniform he got. He still got a full body cringe at the memory, but he couldn't forget that specific scene despite trying to. His other self made a mistake at that time, and he was kind of proud to see that even Bokushi was not 100% perfect. Bokushi still doesn't agree to that but Bokushi can keep disagreeing, for he wasn't going to bother caving in anytime to his other self. Let Him pout like a kid and get ignored in a corner of his mind.

Despite the completely contrasting move to what his other self, and even his own usual self at this point, is used to doing, he decided to raise the white flag and show his sincerity in the apology and friendship he wish to pursue with the brunette. If that involved kissing some ass, namely the Sato family's collective ass, then Akashi reluctantly decided to wipe his lips clean and make an unexpected move. To be completely honest, he was also a bit interested in the way his little surprise would be taken by the little brunette. It took him quite a while to realize that, but he eventually came to admit his own personal amusement and slight satisfaction at catching Ogiwara off-guard with no witty comeback, or emotional meltdowns in some cases. His other self took pleasure in dropping bad bombs, but he could just try to elicit such reactions on a more positive note from now.

He caught it, the off-guard moment when Shigehiro took notice of him without his usual guards up.

Seijuro had to actually fight not to smile or smirk. He managed to keep his usual poker face on, but he was almost sure his eyes must be slightly glistening from him fighting this sudden urge to smile. Shigehiro stared at him for a couple of seconds, seemingly debating over whether to acknowledge his presence on the other side of the door frame. A couple of blinks after, Akashi could see the change happening, just like a fuse he set up. The little brunette took a deep gasping breath while widening his eyes, still keeping eye contact with his red eyes. He was anticipating the verbal reaction of Ogiwara, but before the latter got to speak, Akashi heard someone else yelling from the back.

"Yaaaa, Shige, I can feel the cold air travelling to the kitchen ground. Who the fuck bothered to leave their house in this goddamn weather?," the redhead could hear the voice increasing in loudness, indicating that the little woman was approaching.

"If it's a salesman, just give him a piece of bread and shoo-," Shiori finally saw who was at the door and reacted instantly, just when Ogiwara was getting out of his initial brain-fart moment.

"OHMY! FOR-THE LOVE-OF-SANTA-PIMP-AND HIS LITTLE STRIPPER ELVES," the yelling peaked. Akashi internally raised an eyebrow at the _expressive_ words of the pregnant lady.

"Don't surprise me like this! I almost dropped my baby," Shiori kept rambling as she took notice of their totally unexpected guest. She dramatically placed a hand on her chest and the other on her _very_ prominent belly while quickly approaching the door, shoving her little useless brother aside.

"Come inside quick, I can feel the amniotic fluid in my belly turning colder," the pregnant lady grumbled while reluctantly inviting the redhead inside.

"Excuse me for the intrusion," the Akashi heir politely said as he got inside. The little lady quickly rushed to close the door and sighed.

"Okay, I don't wanna sound rude, but why are you here?" It seemed like Ogiwara finally found his speech back, and was genuinely confused at his surprise better. _Well, that's definitely better than having the door slammed shut on my face_ , the heir thought. After the little commotion, the assistant coach made his way to the entrance and got there just in time to hear Seijuro's answer.

"I am here to personally apologise for my previous misconduct," the Akashi heir, freaking same but not the same anymore god-complex Akashi, said to the pregnant lady while bowing. "I hope you would be generous enough to forgive my offensiveness towards your brother," he continued.

Takuo-san spit his coffee when he finally took notice of the redhead bowing to his pregnant wife.

What an interesting day this was turning out to be.

Akashi could see the obvious confusion present on everyone's face the moment he stood up straight after apologizing. His assistant coach was sporting a ruined shirt from the surprise spat (Akashi was not really surprised at this one), Shigehiro seemed to be having another speechless moment, and the fury pregnant lady seemed to be the first person to get over the shock. At least, from the way she narrowed her eyes once Akashi met her gaze, the redhead assumed. Of course she would still be wary of him. Akashi knew that it would take much more than simple words to convince this particular household of his sincerity. They were all as stubborn as a mule, he could tell that much from first hand experience.

"And why should I believe your words?" the pregnant brunette asked carefully, with curiosity and a hit of suspicion.

Now this was what the redhead was more used to. Akashi was fully expecting this wariness from the brunette's sister. In fact, he was a bit surprised that the questioning was happening _in_ the house, to begin with. He had prepared himself for more resistance before being able to get inside. This was a not too bad start already.

"You don't have to," the heir replied automatically. "I hope to convey my intentions clearly through my actions," he continued while keeping eye contact with the little woman.

"Well… I'm not blind," the woman replied and sighed.

"That's why you're inside the house right now. Thank the freezing weather outside, for a start," Shiori crossed his hands over her chest while grumbling.

She could not afford to catch a cold in this condition, especially when the doctor had warned them that she could not be taking any sort of cold pills. That was the main reason why she threw a little fit when she felt the cold breeze. She, obviously, did not expect the great almighty Akashi Seijuro to be the one knocking on their door, but hey, she had to do what she could to stop the cold air from getting in. If that involved dragging a certain stuck-up spoiled brat inside the house, then so be it. She was trying her best not to kick the visitor out at this very right moment, solely because his husband told her about how the red brat pulled the strings to get Kuroko and Ogiwara back to talking (as well as pranking apparently) terms. Maybe, just maybe she could use this as a chance to make the red heir have a taste of his own medicine. Ohhh… so many ideas started popping up in her head all at once. Shiori could fell her inner devil self grinning at this given opportunity. So the rich brat forced her little brother into those hideous basketball uniforms huh..?

 _Oh the sweet, sweet taste of revenge._

Takuo could almost feel the switch in his pregnant wife's vibe. From the slight glint in her eyes, he could tell that his oh-so-darling wife was up to something, and low key pitied the basketball captain for what he just signed up for. Oh well, he was not going to intervene much. He was not going to infuriate his pregnant darling and put his balls in danger, oh no. Let the redhead face the bullying extreme teasing for today.

"I am still unsure what to think of all of this and you," Shiori chose her words carefully, "but you might as well come in, for now," she invited the teen reluctantly.

"So, did you just wake up today and decide to pay us a visit?" Ogiwara and his blunt honesty, Akashi did not get to reply before the poking questions and bickering picked up.

"What is this?" Takuo asked while eyeing the plastic bag in the red heir hand. _Please don't let this be a miscalculated gift_ , he silently prayed. He had enough of a hard time placating his wife from the basketball uniform stunt.

"This better not be basketball related," Shiori quickly chirped in, warning clearly made in her tone. "I can feel my tension rising just from the thought of it," cued in the dramatic flairs of the pregnant lady.

"Calm down, honey," Takuo played along her wife's antics. "Give the poor lad a chance to talk."

"Poor-" Ogiwara snorted. _What a joke_ , addressing the only person in the room who was actually wearing a dress shirt and suit as poor.

"Lad-" Shiori snorted right after his little brother. _Akashi Seijuro? Lad?_ What was wrong with her husband today?

Takuo wanted to face-palm himself at his poor choice of words, but at least some of the tension in the air dissolved. It seemed like the red heir would be the end of each joke today.

"I brought Christmas Pudding," Akashi quickly intervened.

His other self had an unflattering was of giving them gifts, admittedly. The heir could see from where his usual etiquette of not visiting someone's place empty-handed could cause such a reaction and quickly followed up to prevent further misunderstandings. Hence why, he chose something simple and related to this time of the year. He also knew of the little brunette's kitchen endeavors to satisfy the cravings of his pregnant sibling, and assumed that the household would not really be opposed to such a classic dessert. He was contemplating between getting some glass jelly, but because of the extreme weather conditions, he had to change his plans last minute since most of the _good_ places were closed. This pudding was home-made by his chef, using the best ingredients. As an Akashi, he could never settle for those cheap, convenience store cakes to give as a gift. He had _standards_.

"Ohh." Shiori and Shigehiro were genuinely surprised, while Sato-san sounded weirdly relieved. All three made way for him to get inside, _properly_. His assistant coach actually started dragging him to the living room, much to his amusement.

From the collective expression, it seemed that he had no reasons to worry about his gift being appropriate enough. He was slightly right to think that the best way to get into their good books was through their bellies. Akashi was entertained, for sure, but not surprised.

...

Takuo Shiori was turning out to be quite an unpredictable woman.

Akashi did some pre-reading about the proper etiquette and how to deal with pregnant (furious) ladies before knocking on their door but whatever he read beforehand seemed to be not enough. Barely ten minutes into this unique household's company, and the heir already figured out that he was probably more unprepared and misinformed about how to deal with this eccentric lady. The family seemed bizarrely welcoming, despite the heavy weigh of hostility and wariness in the air. They even accepted his gift without much friction, which took him by surprise. They were now all seated in the very festive-looking living room. The assistant coach even served him a cup of hot chocolate after getting changed. The tension in the room was almost palpable, but Akashi had gone through enough interviews to be used to such situations.

"You've taken quite an interest in befriending my dear little brother," Shiori said, while carefully sipping on her own hot chocolate.

"I won't deny that," the heir replied promptly.

"And you want me to accept your apology for mistreating him," the lady followed up.

Shiori would be lying if she said that she was not enjoying this little questioning. She had heard a lot from her husband, but to see the actual change in the heir's demeanor was still intriguing.

"Anything it takes in my immediate capacity for you to do so," Akashi agreed, and instantly noticed the small, almost invisible smile curling on the face of the pregnant lady just before she took another sip of her drink. He was going to have to entertain her to get in her good books, and he was more than willing to do so. He was also slightly curious as to what the lady had in reserve for him.

"May all the odds be in your favour," Ogiwara muttered under his breath, though the redhead caught his words.

"I still don't get the point of you doing all of this just to be friends," the brunette shrugged at the effort Akashi was putting in this whole act.

Maybe it was not an act? That was a possibility that was slowly becoming more real with every little thing the redhead was doing, and it freaked Shigehiro out a bit, to say the least.

"Don't get any weird ideas, darling," Sato quickly chipped in as she took notice of his wife's glistening eyes.

Lesson #1: Do not call out your pregnant wife on any of her ideas, especially if she hasn't made any mention of or acted on said ideas. Takuo was still struggling to learn this particular lesson, from the glare that Shiori threw at him. Akashi made a mental note to carefully pick his words in the presence of the lady in the future.

"Shut up. My ideas can't be any weirder than those baby names you keep suggesting," the pregnant lady quickly rebuked and provoked the assistant coach.

This marked the opening of a banter that Ogiwara has had to listen through _enough_ times already. If he had to sit through this one more time today he was going to pack his bag and move back with his parents. It was all cute and all in the beginning, when the couple were actually taking his very, very nice suggestions, but that seemed to stop abruptly as the expecting duo browsed through the net. It did not help at all when his brother-in-law decided to get creative with the name. The names he kept coming up with sounded more ancient than the tombs of their ancestors.

"Oh sweet Jesus, can you both stop about this?" the little brunette relented. If they started arguing about those god damned baby names again, he was going to lose his mind and go bald.

"It's been two freaking hours and you're still going on about the names. The baby isn't going to pop out anytime soon! Just keep those discussions for later. We have a _guest_ ," Ogiwara emphasized on the last word while throwing a pointed look at the redhead.

Akashi quickly translated that look into 'don't you dare get comfortable yet'. This household was turning out to be quite domestic, and domestic is a completely foreign territory for the young heir. He was not really used to such banters and for a moment, he got slightly concerned with his lack of experience in conversing in such relaxed manner. For the first time in a long while, the heir was worried about being a stick in the mud. He was not sure when to speak and what to say. They all seemed to have a habit of talking over each other. The heir was trained to speak in turns, and this particular house seemed to have a kick for useless bantering. It would probably be best for him to speak when addressed to, at this point.

"I think I'm still a bit in denial about the fact that Akashi Seijurou is sitting in my living room," the assistant coach said to no one in particular. Akashi felt weird to be the topic of a conversation in his own presence without actually partaking in said conversation.

"Same," Ogiwara seconded.

"And you just had to spit coffee on yourself when you saw him at the door. What a warm welcome," Shiori followed up in a disapproving tone.

"Excuse me. I'd rather spill some coffee on myself than yell about santa pimp and his stripper elves in front of a guest, thank you." Takuo snorted. He was not lacking in the sass department while replying to his wife.

Akashi almost choked on his drink while hearing the man snap back. He could tell that the teacher picked this habit from his wife. Sipping on his hot chocolate while listening to the ongoing banter turned out to be not so unpleasant after all. He could probably get used to that, if not for the constant pointed glares that the little brunette on the other side of the room kept throwing at him. Ogiwara was not amused at his sudden visit, but was clearly trying to be civil and holding his tongue back. The redhead silently mused how long the the latter would be able to keep his calm. He looked like he was already exasperated by his bickering siblings.

"Why do you want to be friends with Shige-chan though?"

Akashi was finally being addressed to. That didn't take long. Shiori was quite direct with her question. She proceeded to babble out praises or what could be interpreted as words of compliment, about her little brother. The heir was not sure if he would feel particularly complimented by the lady's choice of words about her brother, but to each their own standards. And vocabulary, apparently. Ogiwara for sure did not look quite amused by the words of his sibling.

"I mean, I get it that he is quite a brave little tw- young man, kind of a loose mouth with a few funny bones. But it's kind of hard to see what you would see in him to want to befriend him so bad," the lady mused.

They were all still struggling to picture Akashi and Ogiwara in a friendly relationship. In fact, even Seijuro was not sure how a friendship with the fiery brunette would be. While he could picture himself as a brooding lion, Ogiwara was more like a shamless, flamboyant flamingo. They are not even of the same species of spirit animals, from what his thoughts can gather. But that was another good thing about it; Shigehro was nothing like what he was used to. He was a breath of foolishness and freshness in his strict routine of a corporate and regal life, someone that he still was not sure if he needed, but he definitely wanted around.

"It's a challenge, I do admit," Akashi noticed Shiori's eyes narrowing slightly at his honest reply, and quickly back-pedaled. He did not want anyone to think that this was a game for him, since he was being as sincere as he could be.

"But I want to get to know him more. He is a genuine person." Akashi could feel the brunette's eyes on him after he spoke.

"Are you okay with revealing yourself in exchange?" Shiori asked, with a hint of challenge.

This question threw him off. Akashi was used to the whole business of give-and-take. That was what he spent most of him doing outside school in those business meetings his father kept plugging him in. A lot of the deals that had been made were through the exhausting process of finding the perfect balances, a point of comprise. Making concessions was part of what Akashi was trained to master. He could assess the pros and cons, the risks and responsibilities involved in making a decision in the blink of an eye, and he had made quite a few professional and strategic gains from this skill. This was the first time he was been asked to do the same thing he has been doing in a personal level.

Asking him if he was okay with revealing his own weaknesses in order to learn about the other? He was someone who was raised to never show any weakness; he seriously doubted the existence of any weakness in him until Bokushi happened. How was he going to reveal himself to someone else when he himself was not exactly sure of what was buried in the twisted mechanisms of brain chemistry? But that was what friendship was about. It doesn't have to be now, it doesn't have to be ever, as long as he could accept the possibility of having to reveal bits and pieces of himself. No one had to know exactly what was going on in his life.

"It would be hypocritical of me refusing to do that." The heir answered in a blink, earning his first smile from the pregnant lady.

" _Hello?_ Can you both like, stop pretending I'm not here and listening?" Ogiwara commented. He was still in the same room, and that sudden question of his sister was too deep for this Christmas season. He did not want to engage in a friendship and reveal his struggles to the red brat! Akashi probably knew more than he should know, courtesy of his late golden eye. He was not interested in revealing more about his pathetic younger self and those stupid tantrums he threw before, not at all. He had to admit to himself though, he was a bit curious about the next heir of the Akashi Corp.

"Ahhhh Shige-chaaaan!" The doting sister exclaimed and sprang from one couch to the other to hug the pouting brunette and constantly patted his head. Skinship seemed to be a thing in this household, Akashi dully noted.

"Oni-chan is sorry for neglecting you. Lemme get lunch ready to make up for it," she continued while slowly standing up. Takuo immediately got next to her to help her stand up. The couch did seem to be quite low and comfy, the heir lately realised.

"I believe we have company for lunch today." The lady announced while looking at the redhead, who simply nodded.

"You don't mind having chicken katsu curry and tofu stir fry, ne Akashi-kun?"

Did the pregnant lady just mentioned _tofu_ stir fry? "I'll gladly take that, thank you," Akashi smiled in response, slightly hoping that it was Ogiwara's tofu dish. He still marked the memory of the little brunette denying him his tofu during summer camp. How the tables have turned, the redhead mused. He was going to be fed tofu in said brunette's home.

"You're unbelievable," Shigehiro shrugged. Someone shoot him in his head already, he silently pleaded.

 **A/N: I hope you liked it so far! Rates and reviews will be much appreciated~**


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